Can principles of local action, mutual aid and intergenerational cohesion help to revive rural areas? Jessica Girardi immersed herself in this question during a month-long Forum Synergies scholarship hosted by the Porto di Terra collective in Sicily in August-September 2024. She found living proof that rural areas can be dynamic, progressive and experimental. Letter by Jessica Girardi. […]
For years, ARC2020 has relied on X (formerly Twitter) to connect with partners, amplify voices in agroecology, and foster vital conversations about rural resilience and sustainable food systems. But the platform no longer serves as a conducive space for the kind of constructive engagement we strive for. Like many others, we have decided to leave the platform for good – and here’s why. […]
The Danish Green Tripartite could lock in the existing industrial farming system, based on the promises of questionable (bio)technologies. Denmark’s farming system needs a structural transformation and the use of GMOs should be tightly regulated to prevent further ecological damage. As it stands, this Agreement will do nothing to transform the farming sector in Denmark to a truly sustainable model. By June Rebekka Bresson (Noah, Denmark) and Franziska Achterberg (SOS, Germany). […]
Sybille Kyed, Policy director of Organic Denmark says that the Green Tripartite Agreement sets agri-food in that country onto the wrong track. It sidelines organic farming, ignores biodiversity and soil considerations on the majority of Denmark’s land, and in so doing inadvertently solidifies a questionable use of crops and land: organic can feed more people as the rules for organic farming mean extravagant amounts of crops aren’t grown to feed indoor animals. While ambivalent on technology, Kyed is concerned the agreement directly supports technology irresponsibly. Finally, she proposes another approach, one that integrates CO2e into CAP’s GAECs and eco-scheme system. […]
Negotiations on future policy options at the EU level are ongoing, setting the basic framework for future rural development policy. In this op-ed, Edina Ocsko of Smart Village Network Services / E40, who is Vice-Chair of the Rural Pact Coordination Group (RPCG), argues that the EU must take a more proactive approach in delivering stronger supports for rural areas. […]
In this op-ed, Hans Van Sharen of Corporate Europe Observatory argues that Bayer, a German agrochemical giant, exerts vast political and economic influence globally, often harming public health, biodiversity, and democracy in the process. The company aggressively lobbies to shape laws in its favor, fighting legal battles over the harmful effects of its products, like glyphosate. A new report by Corporate Europe Observatory reveals Bayer’s long history of lobbying to maintain control of the seed and pesticide markets, despite evidence of environmental and health risks. With soaring lobbying expenditures, especially in the EU and US, Bayer even seeks to alter liability laws to protect itself from lawsuits. Critics argue that Bayer’s toxic business model must be curtailed to protect both the environment and democracy. […]
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. […]
While all eyes this week have been on the nomination of the new crop of Commissioners, there have been plenty of other developments worth watching in Brussels this week. From the EU’s watchdog questioning the Commission over the hasty dismantling of the EU’s green farming measures, to NGOs being ignored for a key direction-setting report on the future of EU policy, ARC2020 brings you up to speed with all you need to know. […]
The last few months have been a rollercoaster ride for the EU’s farming subsidy programme, which has seen its green ambitions sacrificed on the altar of food security and politics. As this mandate comes to a close, ARC has put together a re-CAP for you with all the twists and turns in the Common Agricultural Policy over the past few years – and what’s next for the policy. […]
As the dust settles after the elections, what will the Commission focus on? Which politicians have secured the key roles? Who is at the helm in shaping agricultural and environmental policy over the next 5 years? News round up from Brussels by Natasha Foote. […]
With the dust yet to settle after the European Parliament elections, political groups are scrambling to secure top jobs in parliamentary committees. Meanwhile over at the Commission, rumours abound about the carving up of competences for food. And there’s more nail-biting voting to come… Natasha Foote brings us the inside scoop from the heart of the action. […]
The German Farmers’ Association (Deutscher Bauernverband) promises nature conservation, but acts against it. Jost Maurin (Die Tageszeitung, taz) makes the case that this trajectory could serve as a warning for the EU Strategic Dialogue, in which environmental and farmers’ associations are to develop a vision for the future of agriculture. […]
Wouter van de Klippe delves into the recent farmer’s protests, and assesses the role both the agri-lobby Copa-Cogeca, and the Common Agricultural Policy itself, have played. Van de Klippe argues that behind Europe’s farmers protests lie decades of policy failures and a lobby determined to steer the conversation. […]
On June 1st, hundreds of citizens, NGOs, and grassroots movements gathered at Place de l’Albertine in Brussels, urging politicians to improve farmers’ conditions, halt environmental rollbacks, and strengthen climate policies. The demonstration was organized by Good Food Good Farming (GFGF) and Climate Action Network Europe (CAN Europe), uniting environmental and agrifood movements ahead of the EU elections. Report by Pauline Naterstad and Mia Mancini. […]
With the European elections just around the corner, civil society is revving up for the next mandate. Ahead of the vote, ARC2020 has compiled a one-stop shop of resources from farming, environmental, and food civil society organisations. Interestingly, there is a lot of overlap between these sectors in what is a fascinating set of tools for action. Let’s have a look at some of them. […]
Agricultural and Rural Convention
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