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IPCC | Climate Chaos and Land Use: Is Livestock a Liability?

Is livestock a liability in the climate game? Not if it’s done right, says the IPCC. In its Special Report on Climate Change and Land Use that came out over the summer, the IPCC weighs up the solutions agriculture can offer to the challenges of climate change adaptation and mitigation, desertification, land degradation and food security. Sustainable livestock is just one of the responses examined in this sweeping analysis of the possible scenarios. […]

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Series | What will come from the CAP Strategic Plan Negotiations?

While the next CAP reform is still in discussion at the Council, and the European Parliament has not yet taken a final position, Samuel Féret explains the rationale of the new concept of CAP Strategic Plans for a future CAP as proposed by the European Commission. This is intended as a pivotal piece of the future new delivery model, probably the biggest proposed change in how the CAP is set to operate in the future. This is the second in a five part article series on what happens next for the CAP. […]

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Your National Ag Minister is Killing an Environmental CAP

National Ministers from EU member states have put together a working paper that essentially eviscerates any significant environmental ambition of the CAP. ARC2020 is leaking the Working Paper on the Common Agriculture Policy, dated 5th September, in the interests of transparency and full disclosure of necessary information to all stakeholders.  […]

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Anders Borgen | Nurd of the Niche

Anders Borgen has been an organic farmer for 35 years, and has for the past 15 years worked as a private organic plant breeder in Northern Jutland, Denmark. Hannes Lorenzen meet Anders Borgen at the European Cereal Diversity Conference in Kalö near Aarhus in Denmark to discuss organic regulations, cereal diversity and other matters. […]

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Interview with Mary Reynolds | Acts of Restorative Kindness (ARK)

Having won the biggest awards in Landscape Gardening including the Chelsea Flower Show, had a Hollywood movie made about her (Dare to be Wild), and been commissioned for some of the most striking and creative landscaping projects in Ireland, Mary Reynolds stopped being a landscape gardener. So what came next? (Hint – its different to ARC – its an ARK!) […]

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Agroecology Europe Forum September 26-28th

What should be the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) in the future for promoting agroecology? Which local practices and policies exist in Europe that support access to land for young and first generation farmers? Which traditional and new knowledge is available on soil restoration and biodiversity enhancements? Find out at the 2nd Agroecology Europe Forum in Greece 26-28th September. […]

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Brussels | Commission’s CAP Files to Continue

Work will continue in the new parliament on the CAP files developed by the Commission and progressed under the previous parliament. With a new parliament now in place, there was the potential for all of the previous work to be rejected, and allowed lapse under what’s called an unfinished business rule. While this will not be the case, what will happen is still uncertain. Here we unpack the options. […]

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Rural Dialogues | Stochastic System Collapse Part 2 – the Social and Solidarity Economy Alternative

In part one, we outlined just how bad the situation is regarding climate and biodiversity collapse, as well as the people-driven responses to this  – from extinction rebellion to the school strikes. Beyond these alarm-raising direct action initiatives, what is there out there to become the system change that’s so clearly needed? Here in part 2 we introduce the social and solidarity economy, and the interesting lessons we can learn from separatist movements from the past and present, from Quebec to Ireland. […]