Fully functional, healthy peatlands are the most effective long-term carbon store and sink on the planet. But what sort of state are they in, and what role for agriculture and CAP. And just what is Paludiculture? Jan Peters and colleagues assess the terrain. […]
With the ongoing work on the CAP reform, Europe will have to respond to a wide range of new challenges, reflecting the ambitions of the EU Green Deal and Farm to Fork strategy. To this end, an event was held on 22nd January which took a rural perspective on what’s needed in the months and years ahead. […]
In this opinion piece from Justyna Zwolińska, who hails from Janusz Wojciechowski’s home country of Poland, we hear some reasons for optimism about the recently appointed Commissioner: both his previous track record and his initial musings give cause for hope, Zwolińska contends. […]
As we’re about to complete a decade – both ARC2020 and, well, everyone – please allow us to indulge in some retrospection. Don’t worry, we’ll also look forward too, to what should be an exciting 2020 and a defining decade. […]
In a glaring failure for checks and balances, a leaked European Commission audit concludes that Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš continues to profit from his business empire. The billionaire premier is in conflict of interest under both Czech and EU law, say the EC auditors. The EU seems set on making an example of the Czech PM. Will this mean a clampdown on corruption in Central Europe? […]
Agriculture has changed significantly in the past century. Bigger machines, bigger farms and bigger budgets allow fewer farmers to produce more food. Changes in science and policy have also resulted in an industry in which power over what we grow and eat is increasingly held by very few. How have gardeners and seed savers responded? […]
The European Court of Auditors examined farmers income stablisation in a recent report. The findings were mixed, with direct payments, insurance, mutual funds all assessed. Many measures have failed to live up to expectations. What’s more, the uptake of these payments was found to be uneven, inefficient and, in some cases, unfair. And in some cases public aid and insurance may even be prolonging unsustainable practices. Natasha Foote has more. […]
As the European Commission today announces what its green deal will be like, how will agriculture, food and rural Europe play its part? Will this green deal be white wash, or will it have substance? And will a just transition help Europe’s workers farmers and all citizens make the change? […]
A new report using economic research from 46 farms aims to improve understanding of the underlying economics of upland farming, and how this can be improved to both benefit the environment and increase the financial resilience of these businesses. […]
In this three part series we present an analysis by Dr. Andrea Beste on the similarities, differences and synergies between the organic, agroecological and regenerative farming movements. Part three here outlines the relatively new regenerative agriculture movement. A German version of the entire series is also available if you click through. […]
In this new three part series we present an analysis by Dr. Andrea Beste on the similarities, differences and synergies between the organic, agroecological and regenerative farming movements. Part one here outlines the history and current status of the organic movement. A German version of the entire series is also available if you click through. […]
Big corporations, with a vested interest in an export-orientated, highly intensive model of farming, have given financial support to the Boeren Protests that have swept the Netherlands. However this intensive model is coming under increasing criticism from farmers who are being asked to do an array of sometimes contradictory things. Disparate groups are now coming together to offer ways out of this impasse. Part 2 from Hans Wetzels. […]
From a central and east European perspective, equalisation of CAP payments between all member states is long overdue. What is the background to this expectation, and how likely or desirable is it now, with Wojciechowski as Commissioner? […]
How do farms pass on between the generations in a way that respects the needs of older and younger people? Share Conway and colleagues argue for an approach that allows older farmers to maintain and sustain normal day to day activity and behaviour on their farms in later life, whilst also ‘releasing the reins’ to allow for the necessary delegation of managerial responsibilities and ownership of the family farm to their successors. […]
Rural places are peopled places – and people have and need cultural life. Culture can include heritage and the arts, the activities we enjoy, the food we eat, and the language we speak. Since these things matter in all our lives, they matter for all the places where we live, too. But talk about rural renaissance can often miss making cultural connections. […]
Agricultural and Rural Convention