Roy Neilson and Blair McKenzie of the James Hutton Institute start with the consideration – what do we want from our soil? They move from here on a fascinating journey into the difference between soil texture and structure, into soil management, organic matter, and the impact of different practices on soil. […]
In light of the Baysanto merger recently approved, Ian Fitzpatrick investigates the new frontier of agricultural biologicals. […]
AgTech is being mainstreamed. Can Free/Open Source Software (FOSS) be a way to make it accessible to all? In this 2-part piece, Gabriel Ash explores agricultural knowledge and the digital commons. […]
As part of our rural sociology RETHINK Modernisation series, we present an article on prosperity. What does it mean in the rural context? Is it about income, or is there more to it than that? […]
“Itai-Itai!” is the name of a disease that emerged in the early 20th Century in Japan, due to cadmium poisoning. The EU has been trying, unsuccessfully, to reduce cadmium exposure in its citizens for years. The source of cadmium contamination of European soil? Mineral fertilizers. […]
The issue of “land sparing vs land sharing”: Kremen poses the familiar refrain – should we be as productive (in terms of yield) as possible, thus leaving more land for nature, or should we try to get farming and nature to work better together? […]
Below we highlight the summary of the Committee of the Regions position on CAP as written by Euromontana – the European Association of Mountainous Regions. Fairness and solidarity emerge as key themes, with a strong emphasis on the rural. […]
While carbon pollution gets all the headlines for its role in climate change, nitrogen pollution is arguably a more challenging problem. How do we minimise the problems associated with nitrogen fertiliser use? […]
Saturday 21st January sees another ‘Wir haben es satt!’ demonstration in Berlin. The negative impacts of the corporate control of agriculture – loss of farmers, loss of biodiversity, pollution, hunger, climate change and many more considerations show that agro industry is failing – We are fed up! […]
Non-government organisations on both sides of the Atlantic are restating their arguments against the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) between Canada and the European Union, which was signed on October 30. The race is on to prevent CETA from being ratified in the coming months. […]
What was supposed to be a fairly routine renewal of the herbicide glyphosate has turned into a quicksand quagmire. The European Commission has twice now failed to approve the controversial substance, as enough member states could not be mustered to support it. And the approval deadline of 30th June is fast approaching. Oliver Moore gives us an update. […]
Two recent publications on Soil and Cities and on the effect of Roundup on soil microbiota show just how important and delicate that dirt beneath our feet is. […]
In this series, our authors and readers have approached the livestock debate from many perspectives – climate, animal ethics, economic and more. So what have we learned? […]
Europe’s strongest economy is seeing its farming sector decimated. At an incredibly rapid rate, both the number of farmers and the income of those left farming is nose diving. Why is this happening and what can – or will – be done? […]
Participatory seed saving techniques are given a welcome boost in Romania, with the 2015 Eco Ruralis seed catalogue […]
Agricultural and Rural Convention