Organisations we regularly feature on our site
France has more than enough land to feed its inhabitants. Yet almost half of French farmland serves the global export trade. Food sovereignty will remain a pipe dream as long as the absurd globalised food system continues to hold sway, says a new report by Terre de Liens. The Rural Resilience project reports from the launch event in Paris. […]
It’s a little known fact outside the growing community: peat is ubiquitous in producing the fruits and vegetables we eat. Organic and conventional systems alike rely on peat for plant propagation. This is a climate and biodiversity disaster, and alternatives have so far been thin on the ground. How is the horticulture industry dealing with the peat conundrum? Oliver Moore reports. […]
The CAP has shapeshifted significantly thanks to a series of exemptions and, crucially, a fundamental change in its regulation in 2024. But how have these changes impacted the green architecture of the policy? Here we present a collaborative article on the changes, in particular for the ‘good agricultural and environmental conditionalities’ on peatland and wetlands (GAEC 2) and on space for nature (GAEC 8). National environmental and agricultural coalitions from around Europe – from Poland, Ireland, Czechia, France, Italy, Spain and Bulgaria – have all fed their insights into this article. […]
The field of plant biotechnology is undergoing a profound transformation. The rise of generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools is fundamentally reshaping the way genetic engineering is conducted. AI-driven genetic engineering may be vulnerable to well-known limitations of AI, such as the black box effect, hallucinations and data errors, raising concerns that plants with undesirable traits could be engineered and released into the environment. How should the EU respond? Benny Haerlin and Franziska Achterberg of Save our Seeds summarise findings of the organisation’s report When Chatbots Breed New Plant Varieties. […]
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. […]
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. […]
Our partner Forum Synergies invites you to a RuralNext online event dedicated to identifying the needs of rural communities across generations, followed by networking and team-building opportunities, this Tuesday 26 Nov 2024 from 17:30-19:00 CET. […]
France’s territorial food programmes are an exciting example of what can happen when local communities have a say in their food systems. An open letter signed by a collective of more than 120 French mayors and local councillors of all political stripes, 19 organisations and 7 scientists, and published on Friday in Le Monde, calls for a systemic vision and state support to local authorities who are working to advance the agroecological transition and transform local food systems. […]
October has come to a close, and with it, another year of European Days of Action! With 64 events in 25 countries, we’ve raised our collective voice to highlight some critical EU negotiations next year: the EU budget, also known as the Multiannual Financial Framework and the upcoming Common Agricultural Policy. Mia Mancini and Pauline Naterstad tell us more. […]
Launched today, the Soil Atlas 2024 jointly published by Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung and TMG – Think Tank for Sustainability, highlights the consequences of the global loss of fertile soil, and also shows the potential of sustainable and fair land use for climate protection and biodiversity. Here we bring you an excerpt. […]
Negotiations on future policy options at the EU level are ongoing, setting the basic framework for future rural development policy. In this op-ed, Edina Ocsko of Smart Village Network Services / E40, who is Vice-Chair of the Rural Pact Coordination Group (RPCG), argues that the EU must take a more proactive approach in delivering stronger supports for rural areas. […]
Michael Dower (1937-2022) has inspired rural Europe for decades. Co-founder of the European AgriCultural Convention (EAC), which later became ARC2020, he was a phenomenal agent of change. Launching today, the Michael Dower Award for Rural Resilience will showcase the efforts of local communities and individuals who are taking action to make rural Europe a better place to live. […]
In this op-ed, Hans Van Sharen of Corporate Europe Observatory argues that Bayer, a German agrochemical giant, exerts vast political and economic influence globally, often harming public health, biodiversity, and democracy in the process. The company aggressively lobbies to shape laws in its favor, fighting legal battles over the harmful effects of its products, like glyphosate. A new report by Corporate Europe Observatory reveals Bayer’s long history of lobbying to maintain control of the seed and pesticide markets, despite evidence of environmental and health risks. With soaring lobbying expenditures, especially in the EU and US, Bayer even seeks to alter liability laws to protect itself from lawsuits. Critics argue that Bayer’s toxic business model must be curtailed to protect both the environment and democracy. […]
The European Alliance for Regenerative Agriculture (EARA) is an independent, farmer-led coordination and political advocacy organization of the movement of regenerative agriculture at the European level. EARA is striving to enable the transformation of our agrifood ecosystems through accountable ecologic, economic and social regeneration. In this op-ed, EARA outlines a critique of the flawed ways it sees farming being supported currently, while offering another approach – one grounded in the biological processes of photosynthesis performance and soil cover: KPIs for a regenerative future. […]
“Food from Somewhere” is a recent report from IPES-Food on territorial markets – localised food systems and chains. So what’s in it? This report finds a disaster prone, not fit-for-purpose food system being propped up by government policies and other supports. Meanwhile, localised food systems do the work of feeding people day in day out without anything like as much support. But there are options for better supporting food on the ground. […]
Agricultural and Rural Convention
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