Latest from EU Member States Archives - Page 3 of 71 - Agricultural and Rural Convention

Deep Dive into The Green Tripartite – what’s in, what’s not and the Tricky Issue of Implementation.

November 12, 2024 Rasmus Blædel Larsen

This longer piece by Rasmus Blædel Larsen is a deep dive into the substance of the initial Green Tripartite Agreement text, as well as into some of the earlier critics of aspects of the agreement. In particular the contentious role of trees, the ambition of the targets, impact on biodiversity and finally actual implementation. Municipalities signed up to this as partners, and have a big role in delivery – perhaps one of the most important roles. But do they have the capacity to follow through? […]

Denmark’s Green Tripartite – Politics Plays its Role

November 10, 2024 Asger Mindegaard

In this piece, Asger Mindegaard (former Green Advisor in the European Parliament) brings us up to speed with the state of play for implementation of the Green Tripartite Agreement. After much fanfare back in June, pressure is mounting from many sides. The tricky issue of Nitrogen plays a role – alongside political parties and stakeholders of many hues. […]

Stakeholder Collaboration as the Cornerstone of the Green Transition The Danish Model

November 7, 2024 Niels Peter Nørring

Here, Niels Peter Nørring Director of Climate and EU Policy at the Danish Agriculture and Food Council (DAFC) explains what’s in the Green Tripartite Agreement (GTA), which DAFC signed up to on June 25th, with a range of other stakeholders from Danish society. He introduces the Danish tradition of Tripartite agreements, the GTA’s main elements, including its livestock tax and funding, and assesses its applicability to the EU more widely. […]

Paving the Way for Agriculture Emission Reductions – the Danish case

November 7, 2024 Emil Fraas

Kicking off our series on the Danish agriculture in general, and the Green Tripartite Agreement in particular, here Emil Fraas of CONCITO introduces the broad contours of the Green Tripartite Agreement (GTA). As well as an introductory outline to the agreement, his focus is on the background that led to it, funding to support it, the role Nitrogen plays in the agreement, how integrated or otherwise the GTA is to the Common agricultural policy (CAP) and other enabling circumstances. Frass sees positives in the GTA, while also seeing merit in more ambition on climate, biodiversity and diet. […]

Do the 28 CAP Strategic Plans Progress Fairness for Farmers?

November 2, 2024 Oliver Moore

New CAP Strategic Plans have been prepared and implemented since 2023 in all EU member states. Are they helping progress values of fairness, as enshrined in both CAP and other EU legislation? Here we summarise recent work by Henrik Maaß of German small farmer organisation ABL on this matter. While some progress and social innovation has been found, there is more stasis than change on display. […]

Germany | To Reduce Pesticides, Start with Nutrient Management

September 30, 2024 Andrea Beste

NGOs and governmental institutions have many proposals for approaches to pesticide reduction in Europe. Almost all exclude nutrient management. But if we want to reduce pesticides, that is where we need to start, argues Andrea Beste. […]

Luxembourg | A Good Gardener is a Teacher and Politician

September 24, 2024 Hannes Lorenzen

A master gardener and co-founder of the SEED association for the preservation and use of the region’s traditional seed varieties, Frank Adams has long been involved in the legislative battle waged by seed savers to gain recognition for the necessity and specific nature of their work. Hannes Lorenzen spoke to Frank during a horticultural walk in the gardens of the Château d’Ansembourg, Luxembourg. […]

Letter from Christiansen Farm – Breeding Time

August 26, 2024 Hannes Lorenzen

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. […]

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

August 23, 2024 Hannes Lorenzen

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. […]

25 years of LEADER – What impacts?

July 17, 2024 Robert Lukesch

The Austrian Local Action Group (LAG) Styrian Volcanic Land (Steirisches Vulkanland) wanted to know the impacts of its local development efforts over the last quarter-century. To find out, they entrusted a team from ÖAR consultancy, assisted by students from the University of Vienna, to conduct an impact study.* Here co-author Robert Lukesch gives an insight into the background, process and findings of this pioneering research. […]

Letter From A Future Farmer | Rethinking The Farm From The Ground Up

July 12, 2024 Matthew Hayes

For Matthew Hayes, a flying visit to Groundswell 2024, the UK annual festival for regenerative agriculture, provides a brief period off the farm in mid-season, and a moment for reflection. There he visits his son Kristof, who is forging his own path in the regen ag space. It’s a solid grounding in shared values that led this farmer’s son to give agriculture another go – on his own terms. A father and son letter by Kristof and Matthew Hayes […]

Marburg Food Dialogue – Putting more regional produce on the menu

July 8, 2024 ARC

How can restaurants serve more regional produce? A networking event at the Creativity and Social Innovation Hub Marburg (CIM) brought together local restaurant operators, suppliers, civil society actors and employees of the city and district to discuss this question. […]

Germany | A Modern Subsistence Farm in a Postcard Landscape

July 5, 2024 Hannes Lorenzen

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. […]

True Bread – the Restorative work of Farmers, Millers & Bakers in Hungary

July 4, 2024 ARC

The Hungarian Environmental Social Science Research Group (ESSRG) reports on the renewed interest – and importance – of short and local distribution channels, which are better able to meet the growing demand for alternative grains in Europe. And introducing True Bread, produced by ESSRG, a beautiful documentary to tell the story of small-scale farmers, millers, and bakers in Hungary gathering to restore coherent collaboration. […]

Greece | The Sisters of the Seeds

June 14, 2024 Hannes Lorenzen

Welcome to the gardens of St John’s monastery in the village of Anatoli, Thessaly, Greece. We bring you a heartwarming story of sharing and sufficiency, in a letter from a visit to the farm by Hannes Lorenzen. […]