Latest from EU Member States

Letter from Christiansen Farm – Breeding Time

Time waits for nobody – but it seems to travel quickly or slowly depending on circumstance. Organic breeding techniques have a different relationship to time and place than genetic engineering methods; other aspects of being in a market economy and of using specialised machinery have their own relationships to time too. Here, Hannes Lorenzen talks with organic plant breeders in Christiansen organic farm, up in Schleswig-Holstein, in the far north of Germany and what they do and why they do it.  […]

Latest from EU Member States

Letter from the Farm | Wild Geese and Tamed Farming – is it All for the Birds?

Is farming for the birds? Like mountain farmers, some lowland farmers have trouble keeping economically afloat due to growing production costs, difficult market access, and the impact of climate change. Jan Gonne Thams is one of them. He lives on Pellworm island, in a remote and disadvantaged region of North Friesland, Germany.  There, the increasing numbers of protected wild Geese which arrive on Pellworm island have changed priorities of the young farmer. Now the farm shop is first and farming is secondary. In conversation with Hannes Lorenzen. […]

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Germany | A Modern Subsistence Farm in a Postcard Landscape

Cycling through this beauty of soft hills, yellow-green meadows, scattered forests, small lakes, finely carpentered wooden houses, small villages with cows and horses grazing side by side, onion-crowned church-towers and cosy guest houses, you may believe that Upper Bavaria is one of those remaining paradise places where rural culture and small peasantry has survived. Letter from die Ötz farm by Hannes Lorenzen. […]

Latest from EU Member States

Letter From The Farm | Strong Roots for a Surer Future

Investing in a small family farm is much more than an economic consideration: it can help to revitalise an entire village. In the Greek village of Trikorfo (Τρίκορφο), father and son Vasilis and Lukas Mylonas are two generations of olive farmers who are honouring their roots while looking to the future for their community. Hannes Lorenzen reports from his visit to the farm in May. […]

Main stories

Steering the ARC through 2024’s Rough Waters

In the wise words of American writer William Arthur Ward, a pessimist complains about the wind; an optimist expects it to change; a realist adjusts the sails – and ARC2024 plans to stay on course with compassion for people and nature in this new year. What might the coming year bring? It looks like rough waters lie ahead, which means reefing sails and riding high into the wind – but, of course, there will also be sunnier patches to enjoy along the way. ARC’s Hannes Lorenzen sets out what he sees in store for 2024.  […]

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Beer farmers – a Fair Deal for a Good Drink

Belgium is famous for beer. However, that beer is a fast brew with almost no ingredients from Belgium. – and its brewed within six weeks. Traditional Belgian beer like Lambic and Geuze needs up to three years to mature. Yes, that is a long time, but there is a good reason for slowing down a bit. Meet the folks doing just that. […]

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Compassion for Future at Latvian Rural Communities Parliament

Mid-June 2023 the 6th Latvian Rural Communities Parliament took place in the town of Ērgļi. ARC President Hannes Lorenzen was asked to share his views on the past, the challenges of today, and ideas for the future. In this excerpt from the speech he gave, Hannes reflects on how three key ideas – Intergenerational Responsibility, Reduction (or Sufficiency) and Rural Resilience – can frame action for radical change […]

Rural Resilience

« La PAC est une aberration en regard de l’impact climatique et environnemental de l’agriculture »

Samedi le 25 février, le Salon de l’Agriculture démarre à Paris. Au-dessous un maquillage de paysannerie idéalisée, aucun signe de changement chez l’industrie agro-alimentaire. Tout comme pour la nouvelle PAC, qui maintient les pratiques agricoles non durables tout en affaiblissant la cohésion européenne. « L’agriculture du carbone », avancée comme voie vertueuse, ne changera rien sur le fond. C’est trop peu, trop tard, insiste Hannes Lorenzen, président de l’association ARC2020, lors d’une tribune pour Le Monde. […]

Latest from Brussels

“CAP is an Aberration in terms of Climate & Environmental Impact of Ag”

This weekend the Salon de l’Agriculture kicked off in Paris. Beyond the romanticised picture of farming presented at big agri-food fairs like this, the food and farming system shows no sign of change. So it is with the new CAP, which locks in unsustainable agricultural practices while eroding European cohesion. Carbon farming, offered as a solution, will change nothing in substance. Plus ça change, argues ARC2020 President Hannes Lorenzen in an Op-Ed for Le Monde. […]

Latest from the ARC network

Passing of Michael Dower, a European Englishman

Michael Dower has sadly passed away. Co-founder of the European AgriCultural Convention (EAC), which later became ARC2020, Michael stood staunchly for rural Europe, democracy, inclusion, and taking action now. His retirement marked the beginning of a fruitful career as a European convener, co-founding PREPARE and a number of other networks that punched well above their weight. Hannes Lorenzen remembers a European Englishman and friend. […]