In the final part of this short series on Bhutan, Hannes Lorenzen teams up with Adrian von Bernstorff to examine how the Bhutanese economy is increasingly geared toward supporting food sovereignty and organic agriculture. […]
New technological advances in digital agriculture are poised to further transform the business and science of growing crops. But technology comes at a cost, and it is worth considering the impact of farm debt on farmers’ ability to innovate and to transition towards agroecological practices.With Laura Skove in Paris. […]
The next CAP will likely give more power to Member States which may renationalise CAP. This raises questions about EU-level enforcement. Christian Rehmer (BUND, Friends of the Earth Germany), Aurélie Catallo (Pour Une Autre PAC), Ulrich Jaspers, AbL and Die Verbände-Plattform and Ariel Brunner and Harriet Bradley (BirdLife) share their ideas. […]
BirdLife Europe & Central Asia have made proposals to substantially overhaul the CAP. The NGO proposes four instruments in the areas of farming; food, biodiversity and what they call “Space for Nature”. Also proposed is the end of the two pillar system, parity for environmental legislators, a radical change in farmer payments and in risk management. […]
Here ARC2020 present an exclusive leak of the full text of the Commission’s CAP communication. Full text PDF also available to download at the article. (image from the PDF of the Communication) […]
The Paris agreement reached Saturday 12 December at the COP negotiations has been hailed as historic. Is it? And what will it mean for farming and food? […]
An Italian Insurance Company owns 5000 ha in Romania. Maria Rodriguez Beperet of Eco Ruralis explains. […]
Watch out for business-as-usual agri-buiness solutions, even very well meaning ones…. […]
Introducing an advocacy tool against large land investments and their negative impacts on rural communities in Europe. […]
What is Romania planning to spend its Rural Development money on, and what sort of effect will this have on its countryside and environment? […]
“Our resistance against land grabbing begins today…” […]
Romania’s presence during Berlin’s Green Week […]
Europe: increasing pressure on agricultural land and food production. […]
On 16 November 2010, ARC submitted its own proposals for a reform of European Agriculture and Rural Development Policies to the European Commission and other EU institutions. The document, entitled “A Communication from Civil Society on the future of Agricultural and Rural Policy” is a product of a six month process involving consultations, conferences and negotiations between NGOs from across Europe. It calls for a radical review of policies for both agriculture and rural development. We propose that policies from 2014 onwards should embrace: A paradigm shift in agriculture and in food systems, from the existing dominant industrial–style farming and centralised food industry to sustainable farming everywhere and a diversified pattern of regional and local production and processing of food, with closer connections between farmers and consumers, and high care for public health, environment and animal welfare. An economic, social and environmental renaissance of rural areas, building upon the strength and diversity of communities, cultures and resources, linked effectively to place-based territorial development and honouring the EU’s commitment to social, economic and territorial cohesion. […]
After several rounds of consultation within the ARC network, the ARC members and supporters along with observers finalised their Communication of Civil Society to the European Institutions on the future Agricultural and Rural Policy on 5 November 2010. Read the Communication in up to 10 languages. […]
Agricultural and Rural Convention