April 2025 - Agricultural and Rural Convention

Bosnia and Herzegovina | Who Owns Agricultural Land?

April 29, 2025 Katarina Kušić

“Who owns agricultural land” is never an easy question. In post-war Bosnia and Herzegovina, multi-layer governance adds another dimension of complexity. Farmland is disappearing as landscapes—and the people living in them—are reshaped by drawn out processes of refugee return and restitutions, and new forms of extractivism. Dr Katarina Kušić and Z. V. explain how the Bosnian War of 1992-1995 continues to cast a shadow over land use. […]

Letter From The Farm | Community Farming in Ireland

April 25, 2025 Oliver Moore

On Cloughjordan Community Farm it takes a village to grow 50 sorts of vegetables. The member-owned farm produces high quality, nutritionally dense veggies using agroecological methods. Community is central to the farm’s work, from its CSA scheme to volunteering, and most recently a big effort to plant 2,000 trees for syntropic farming. Letter from the farm by Oliver Moore. […]

Spilling Europe’s Dirty Secrets: Uncorking the Toxic Trade in Banned Pesticides

April 17, 2025 Natasha Foote

Pesticides deemed too toxic for Europe are still being produced here and sold abroad to be sprayed on fields where farm workers live, work, and raise their children – but these are also fields that help feed Europe. What is the human cost behind Europe’s toxic trade in banned pesticides? And, as the EU looks at ways to realign its trade standards, why does it continue to put profit over people? To uncork this double standard, ARC2020’s Natasha Foote reports from the ground in South Africa. […]

Letter From The Farm | Seven Years In: Realising Our Agroecological Vision

April 11, 2025 Chiara Garini

We are back after a long time on Chiara Garini’s farm at the foot of the Italian Alps. Seven years ago, Chiara and her partner started from scratch with a lot of dreams. Now they have a fully operational farm business. While proud of realising their vision, rather than resting on their laurels, they are now looking to sustain the necessary growth. […]

Why Simplification of CAP May Get Complicated

April 9, 2025 Natasha Foote

A simpler, streamlined EU farming subsidy programme can only be a good thing … right? Well, it’s a bit more complicated than that. Here, Natasha Foote digs into what we currently know about the next simplification shake up of the Common Agricultural Policy and why keeping it simple is not always so straightforward. […]

Letter From The Farm | All In A Day’s Tree Planting

April 4, 2025 Martino Newcombe

We’re back with Martino Newcombe in the West of Ireland, where he reflects on a winter’s day of planting a shelter belt of native tree species. Not on his farm, but on that of his neighbour, a retired farmer, with the help of another neighbour – echoing the traditional Irish practice of helping each other out that is known as “meitheal”. As a wildlife corridor connects flora and fauna, local networks of knowledge and skills spawn opportunities to build resilience. Martino shares the insights of a day’s work. […]

Let’s Liberate Diversity Forum 2025 – Registration Now Open!

April 4, 2025 Adèle Pautrat

From September 4th to 6th, the European Coordination Let’s Liberate Diversity will host its 14th forum in Luxembourg. The Forum will focus on food sovereignty, seed autonomy, and agricultural resilience. Bringing together a dynamic network of farmers, seed savers, researchers, and activists, this international gathering will provide a platform for reflection on strategic opportunities and the exchange of ideas for collective action. […]

Portugal | Regenerative Heritage Grains – From Soil To Bread

April 2, 2025 Adèle Pautrat

Where to find heritage grains likely to thrive in a Portuguese climate and soil conditions? José da Camara Ruas tells us about his farming project in the Alentejo region in south Portugal, and his journey through diversification—from ancient grains and species mixtures to agroforestry and the introduction of animals. By Adèle Pautrat for the Seeds4All project. […]

Poland And Denmark Have An Opportunity To Shape EU Agriculture, If Only They Seize It

April 1, 2025 ARC

The Commission has published “A Vision for Agriculture and Food”, where it scales back the green ambitions of the Farm-to-Fork strategy, passing the buck to Member States to implement sufficient measures to meet EU climate goals. However, the future of EU agriculture will also be shaped by negotiations on several crucial files—including a new budget, a 2040 climate target and CAP reform. The 2025 Polish and Danish EU presidencies will help to set the pace and scope of agricultural policies for years to come. Op-ed by Simone Højte, Emmanuel Molding Nielsen, Adrianna Wrona and Johannes Flatz. […]