Recent updates Archives - Agricultural and Rural Convention

Simplification Sandwich – What’s inside the Food and Feed Omnibus?

July 17, 2026 Oliver Moore

The EU Food and Feed Safety Simplification Omnibus is another of the European Commission’s attempts to fast-track legislation it claims will reduce administrative burden and increase competitiveness. As has been the case previously, many in civil society and the scientific community are worried that changing so many of the rules on food and feed so fast will do more harm than good. Oliver Moore reports.
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‘What fertiliser crisis?’ Meet India’s pioneer movement paving the path to chemical-free farming

July 16, 2026 Natasha Foote

It’s nothing less than an agroecological revolution. And it’s led by women in the Global South, who are creating their own alternatives to toxic dependencies. Natasha Foote sits down with Swati Renduchintala, a researcher with farmer empowerment organisation Rythu Sadhikara Samstha, to understand how Andhra Pradesh’s Natural Farming movement has changed the lives of millions of Indian smallholders, and shows no signs of stopping. […]

A Peasant University where we can cultivate Rural Knowledge and Power

July 16, 2026 ARC

Collective intelligence on a European scale – could this be the missing piece of the puzzle to make the agroecological transition a reality? Thierry Lohr, local councillor for Plessé, France, and partner of the Rural Resilience project, tells the story of an idea that has galvanised a pan-European collective of rural changemakers: the Peasant University. […]

NEW publication | Everyday Heroines – Stories Rooted in Rural Resilience

July 16, 2026 ARC

Lovingly curated and launched today, “Everyday Heroines – Stories Rooted in Rural Resilience” is a tribute to the extraordinary strength of women who, every day, fundamentally shape the future of their communities. A joint publication by ARC2020, Polska z Natury Foundation, ZIARNO and the Ecological Folk High School. […]

CAP Catch Up – Where are discussions in Brussels at?

July 13, 2026 Natasha Foote

The weather isn’t the only thing heating up over the next few months. Negotiations over the shapes of the EU’s farming subsidy programme will start firing on all cylinders in the second half of the year. Natasha Foote walks you through the latest from Brussels. […]

Hungary | Hands on the Land to Grow Alternatives for Humanity

July 10, 2026 Zsámboki Biokert

Welcome back to Zsámboki Biokert, a market garden and alternative learning space, located close to Budapest. Young trainees flock here to learn how to work with nature and grow nutrient dense food. This knowledge-sharing is part of a broader strategy of resilience – for young people in pursuit of meaningful lifestyles grounded in wellbeing, but also for the farm team and wider community. When overwhelmed by the scale of the challenges, collective advocacy for agroecology can be a coping technique. A letter from the farm by Logan Strenchock. […]

Ireland Takes the EU Wheel: CAP Cash, Livestock Matters and Securing What Exactly?

June 30, 2026 Oliver Moore

From July 1, Ireland’s EU Presidency promises to put food security, farming and fisheries centre-stage. But will it use its moment to build a fairer food system – or simply defend the descent into a burning planet? Oliver Moore reports from Ireland. […]

Leaked Livestock Strategy Bets on Technofixes & Pulls From Industry Playbook

June 25, 2026 Natasha Foote

You can have your cake and eat it too, according to a leaked version of the EU’s upcoming livestock strategy, which leans on technofixes to address our biggest environmental and climate challenges while shying away from some of the meatier questions on reduction of livestock numbers. ARC2020’s Natasha Foote breaks down the key takeaways from the draft. […]

The EU just opened its doors to new GMOs – but you won’t know if they’re on your plate

June 18, 2026 Natasha Foote

After years of intense lobbying, negotiation, and semantic gymnastics, it’s official. Europe is set to open its farm gates and plates to new genetic technologies, without the guardrails of labelling, monitoring, or liability. Natasha Foote breaks down exactly what this means and what’s next. […]

What happens when our seeds go silent?

June 16, 2026 Natasha Foote

As EU lawmakers prepare to rewrite rules governing the production, exchange and sale of seeds, two opposing worlds collide. In one, seeds are intellectual property, carefully regulated and protected as engines of innovation. In the other, they are living commons, saved, exchanged and adapted by farmers across generations. To dig into the seedy underbelly of the agrifood world, ARC2020’s Natasha Foote travelled between two major seed gatherings held just days (but worlds) apart, each offering a radically different vision of the future. […]

The EU’s PFAS Pesticide Blind Spot

June 10, 2026 Natasha Foote

The PFAS panic has seen us eye everything from non-stick pans to takeaway packaging with suspicion. But what if one of the most direct routes of exposure to these ‘forever chemicals’ is not in the kitchen cupboard, but on our plates? Here ARC2020’s Natasha Foote lifts the lid on PFAS pesticides and how new pesticide plans in the EU’s regulatory pipeline could open doors to ‘forever chemicals’ that can’t be closed. […]

A Revolution in Europe’s Public Plate? The future of food policy is delicious

June 1, 2026 Ashley Parsons

What would you do with €2.5 trillion? This is the amount the EU spends every year on public procurement. With the rules that shape this spending up for revision, there is a multi-trillion euro opportunity to serve better food in schools, hospitals, prisons and care homes – while simultaneously supporting farmers and nourishing local economies. Ashley Parsons reports. […]

Germany | Legal win for a collective land purchase makes a couple’s farming dream come true

May 29, 2026 ARC

What began as a small French-fries stand and a desire to grow their own potatoes brought two young farmers into the heart of one of Europe’s most pressing agricultural challenges: access to land. Since founding their organic farm near Münster, David Büchler and Sarah Hoffmann have followed a path familiar to many new entrants, marked by long searches and uncertain opportunities. But a collective purchase model made long-term security possible, after a legal case that finally culminated in a win. By Christine Etienne. […]

What’s Food Sovereignty got to do with it? The New Geopolitics of Food

May 14, 2026 Oliver Moore

Resilient, self-reliant food systems. This is what a major new IPES-Food report puts forward as a way to deal with food price volatility driven by increasing geopolitical tensions. We recognise here many of the ingredients for Rural Resilience that we have identified in our project, including fair livelihoods for farmers and access to food for all. It’s a new and very ‘now’ pathway for governments to advance a food sovereignty approach. Oliver Moore digs in. […]

Inside Brussels’ Eleventh-Hour Battle Over New GMOs

April 22, 2026 Natasha Foote

In a few short weeks, the European Parliament will have the power to open Europe’s farmgates and plates to new genetic technologies, without the guardrails of labelling, monitoring, or liability. But in Brussels, an eleventh-hour battle is brewing. So is this game, set and match? Or is there still something to play for? Natasha Foote brings you the latest from Brussels. […]