Imagine there was a soil amendment that could be produced from waste biomass and could do the following: draw down carbon, increase soil fertility in acidic soils, increase yield and productivity – especially for the poorest farmers with the worst soil, reduce nutrient run off, improve water retention in soil, while also protecting against soil borne diseases? Say hello to biochar…. […]
Agroforestry could play an important role in mitigating climate change because it sequesters more atmospheric carbon in plant parts and soil than conventional farming, report researchers. […]
CAP greening changes have been announced by the EU Commission because of drought However, these moves have annoyed some as they involve the cancellation of measures supposed to help make farming more resilient and robust in the face of climate extremes. And what will happen next, once this emergency passes? […]
We return to Chiara Garini’s agroecological farm in Italy’s Trento Province to see how she has been getting on. In this letter, she tells us of the importance of paying attention to the soil and the soul. […]
How will border and mobility restrictions as well as the drafting of new trade deals under the current Brexit plan impact UK food and farming? In this final entry, Sharon Treat explores the potential risks of the Brexit deal. […]
What are the implications of the new Brexit plan on UK and EU food and farming? In this second part, Sharon Treat from the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP) talks us through inadequate environmental and animal welfare protection as well as weakened biotechnology regulations. […]
What Brexit will mean for the future of UK and EU food and farming has been the topic of much debate and much uncertainty in the past few months. As the Brexit withdrawal plan is becoming more concrete, so too are the potential opportunities and concerns for the food system. Sharon Treat from the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP) talks us through five key risks. […]
What’s going on with the new EU and US trade plans? Will it be TTIP on steroids? Is it to be zero tariffs, a bonfire of the regulations, or is it all much ado about nothing? […]
The European Court of Justice (ECJ) passed a ruling deeming organisms acquired by gene editing are subject to the same regulations as other GMOs. […]
Living Labs are to bridge the gap between academia and ‘real-world’ practice. They are meant to provide space for exchanges, and to facilitate the creative cooperation between a diverse group of actors seeking solutions to the challenges of a particular locality, solutions “that work”. […]
Despite mounting concern about antibiotic resistance globally, parts of the UK agricultural industry remain opposed to further restriction. Could the antibiotic overuse be addressed by policymakers actively incorporating traditional good husbandry knowledge of farmers into best practice management plans? […]
A new report by IATP and GRAIN out this week highlights the devastating impact of the meat and dairy giants on the environment. If GHG emissions from this sector continue as predicted, the Paris Agreement goals are firmly out of reach. […]
What do the most effective rural development policies look like? What role might risk management play in that? We speak to Christian Rehmer (BUND, Friends of the Earth Germany), Aurélie Catallo (Pour Une Autre PAC), Ulrich Jaspers, AbL and Die Verbände-Plattform and Ariel Brunner and Harriet Bradley (BirdLife). […]
As the CAPSELLA project comes to an end, Helene Schulze reflects on her visit to the closing conference in Milan and what it means to have an open-data mindset. How can technology further agroecology? How can we ensure that this technology does not reinforce existing inequalities in the food system? […]
Disappointed at the inability of their respective agriculture ministers to produce a joint statement on the future of CAP, an alliance of French and German organisations has stepped in. Addressing their ministers, here are their propositions for the upcoming reform. […]
Agricultural and Rural Convention