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Rural Gathering | From Common Ground to Common Action

During the short end of November days, the annual European Rural Gathering in Grzybów, Poland, co-organised by ARC2020 and a rich ecosystem of partners, marked another stop of our rural caravan from France to Germany to Poland. It was a meeting of heads, hearts and hands that opened doors of connection and possibility for future collaboration on rural resilience. […]

Latest from EU Member States

Letter From The Farm | The West of Ireland Never ‘Dewilded’

Martino Newcombe runs a small farm in Co. Galway in the west of Ireland. Biodiversity is a central focus of his work. He practices conservation grazing on marshy terrain with Kerry cattle, a hardy ancient Irish dairy breed. In his stewardship of the land he is careful to heed the inherent understanding of deep ecology passed down from previous generations. In this first letter from his farm, Martino explains that you don’t have to be a cow to tell milk from cream. […]

Latest from key partners

LEADER: Where It Came From, What’s Still In It

As part of the transnational LEADER project “Our Common Future” in which LEADER networks came together to conceptualise the future of the LEADER approach, Robert Lukesch brings us a broad retrospective on the wider context from which LEADER emerged, the evolution along its trajectory through six budget periods, and some conclusive thoughts about its future destiny. […]

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The Power of Three – A Weimar triangle for rural Europe

Geopolitics, geography and geometry can sometimes come together as a force for good. A gathering of people from European rural and urban civil society in the Polish village of Grzybów was one such moment. The event, which was spearheaded by ARC2020 and took place at the end of November, weaved together rural, urban, farming and EU perspectives to find a common thread towards a fairer, more sustainable farming and food system. […]

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Behind the Danish Green Tripartite – Democracy, Smallholders and the Rights of Rural People

Ole Kjaerulff Davidsen of Frie bonder – Levende Land argues that The Green Tripartite Agreement in Denmark represents a worrying step backwards for democracy and human rights, excluding small farmers and rural organisations from decisions that deeply impact their lives. In so doing, it violates the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Peasants. Immediate action is needed to demand genuine democratic involvement and prioritise sustainable farming practices and rural rights that benefit people, nature, and the planet. […]

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The Green Tripartite Agreement Locks in Industrial Ag and Biotech Solutionism

 The Danish Green Tripartite could lock in the existing industrial farming system, based on the promises of questionable (bio)technologies. Denmark’s farming system needs a structural transformation and the use of GMOs should be tightly regulated to prevent further ecological damage. As it stands, this Agreement will do nothing to transform the farming sector in Denmark to a truly sustainable model. By June Rebekka Bresson (Noah, Denmark) and Franziska Achterberg (SOS, Germany). […]

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Czech Republic | Fifty Years To Pay For A Farm

A rural European gathering is a special moment. A time for those working on the ground in different territories and regions to compare notes on common challenges at local level, and reflect on European solutions. Access to land is increasingly a barrier for aspiring farmers across Europe, even as an ageing generation of farmers often fails to find a successor. At our European gathering in Plessé in 2022, Czech farmer Terezie Daňková realised how pervasive this issue is in other EU member states. […]

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Weaving Common Ground – European Triangle for Rural Action

On 28 November – 1 December, in the rural village of Grzybów, Poland, ARC2020 is co-organising a European gathering of sustainable rural initiatives to take stock of a new political situation of Europe and to look into possibilities of cooperation: “Weaving Common Ground” between rural and urban people. In collaboration with our local hosts, the Ecological Folk High School and Ziarno association, the gathering will conclude a three-year cooperation of people in rural France, Germany and Poland.  […]

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Navigating the Challenges of CAP Strategic Planning in the EU

CAP implementation faces challenges such as complex governance, insufficient capacity, and obstacles to evidence-based policymaking. Poor coordination between national and regional authorities often disconnects policies from local needs, while limited expertise hinders implementation. The Tools4CAP project report calls for clearer guidelines, inclusive decision-making, capacity building, and tools to enhance stakeholder engagement and policy outcomes. By improving data infrastructure and fostering collaboration, more sustainable CAP Strategic Plans can emerge. Tools4CAP provides methodologies and resources to address these issues and improve decision-making and monitoring. Op-ed by Simone Sterly and Carla Wember (Institute for Rural Development – IfLS). […]

Latest from the ARC network

Empowering Cities: The Missing Link in Europe’s Sustainable Food Future

Europe’s mounting crises present an opportunity to redesign our food systems. We need a comprehensive food policy framework that ensures resilience, sustainability and inclusivity – and promotes cooperation over competition. The new EU commission must harness the collective power of cities, rural communities and European policymakers. Op-ed by Anna Scavuzzo, Vice Mayor of Milan and David Dessers, Deputy Mayor of Leuven. […]

Main stories

Ukraine – The Elephant in the Room that Could Unlock CAP Reform

Ukraine is on our screens every day. Still the countryside and its people mainly appear either as victims of war or as soldiers – not as citizens, workers or farmers. When it comes to its vast swaths of agricultural and rural areas, mostly the largest farming entities and their difficulties to export make it into the news. But there is a surprising rural reality in Ukraine that should play a key role when taking a closer look at what a possible EU accession after the war would mean for Ukrainians and citizens of the EU alike. […]

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Political Deal reached on Denmark’s Green Tripartite – What’s in it and what’s not?

After a long silence saturated with rumours and speculations, a broad majority Monday presented a political deal on implementing the informal green tripartite agreement (IGTA) from June. The deal sees stronger reduction targets for Nitrogen pollution than were initially proposed, while maintaining the climate tax and land use changes proposed by earlier agreements. These latter taxes and changes have been criticised as far too little compared the the scale of the challenge by opponents, who also rail against the voluntary nature of the targets and reliance of future technologies and future political will. A significant if still controversial day for Denmark.  Asger Mindegaard unpacks the preliminary details for ARC. […]