Supposed digital and technological solutions abound in agriculture, and are strongly emphasised in the EU Commission’s CAP proposals. What are the consequences of the increasing focus on these solutions – and can they really work for rural Romania? Are there other more appropriate approaches? […]
Behind closed doors the European Commission is negotiating about a massive trade-deal with the South-American block Mercosur. Talks continue despite increasing concerns for farmers and the environment. Part one of a two parter with Hans Wetzels. […]
This week saw the publication of a damning report on the human destruction of the natural world. 1m species are threatened with extinction. Agriculture has a big role to play in this. Here are the top reads to flesh out what the environmental and climate impacts of the current farming system are and what can be done. […]
What role does – or can – farming and food play in mitigating climate change? Retaining and storing carbon in the soils should be an obvious climate-change mitigation, improving soil fertility through the natural processes of grazing, returning animal manures, and using legumes to fix atmospheric nitrogen has the indirect benefit of reducing the farmer’s reliance on artificial nitrogen fertilisers manufactured using fossil fuels. […]
The US ambassador to the UK has called American farming “the future of agriculture” to encourage the opening of European markets to US products. But what does this food system actually look like? What are its implications on public health, the environment and rural communities? Our partners at IATP report from the states. […]
Business as usual in agriculture will see no more than a 10% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 – but there are other approaches. The most ambitious of these could see up to an 81% reduction –with targets and taxes – an IEEP report finds. […]
Our Mazi farmer, Natasha Foote, joined the first International Meeting For Living Agriculture in Paris. It aims to forward agroecological transition by facilitating exchanges between people working in this field in diverse ways, in different areas and on all sorts of scales. Here is what she took back to the farm. […]
With insect Armageddon and biodiversity collapse making the headlines, pesticides are public enemy No. 1. Scientists are now naming and shaming pesticides as a key driver of biodiversity loss. Even the European Parliament has caught the bug. MEPs insist that the new CAP must do more to shrug off our dependency on agrochemicals. Meanwhile farmers are showing that – with the right supports – instead of scapegoats for biodiversity loss, they can be part of the solution. […]
According to Eurostat statistics farm incomes are at a record high. So why aren’t farm organisations celebrating? And what do these numbers say about actual farm income in different member states of the European Union? […]
Talamh Beo, a new organisation in Ireland that “represents the interests and defends the livelihoods of people producing food, fuel and fibre using sustainable methods of production” has its first public meeting March 9th in the west of Ireland. So who are they and what do they want to do? […]
Kieran Sullivan, our Man in Muddy Boots, is keen to regenerate the soil on his sheep farm in Ireland. Here he reports on his journey to understanding the soil and implementing some measures to improve soil health. This is no small feat, he finds out. […]
Hans Wetzels gets to grips with CAP and Poland, in particular how Polish farmers and Polish policy makers will adapt to likely changes, including a lower overall CAP budget. How the Nationalist party wins hearts and minds, Poland relates to EU subsidies and other EU countries, in particular France and Germany, and finally differences of opinion on organic farming’s productivity, feature in the final in this series. […]
Organic agriculture is a productive form of agriculture delivering significantly higher public goods like soil fertility, biodiversity and better quality of surface and drinking water than conventional agriculture. Consequently, organic farming and other agro-ecological approaches have great potential to contribute to the achievement of sustainability goals at both domestic and international levels. […]
As a major agricultural nation in the east, Poland has a significant interest in how CAP will unfold in the current reform process. We have commissioned journalist Hans Wetzels to get to grips with CAP and Poland. Here we introduce part four, which focuses on smaller producers and how they cope with (or without) CAP supports. […]
As a major agricultural nation in the east, Poland has a significant interest in how CAP will unfold in the current reform process. While not all regions or sectors are the same in this large country, there are some common considerations. Hans Wetzels to get to grips with CAP and Poland, in particular how Polish farmers and Polish policy makers will adapt to likely changes, including a lower overall CAP budget, greater environmental focus and the new delivery model. Part 3. […]
Agricultural and Rural Convention