food system Archives - Page 2 of 13 - Agricultural and Rural Convention

Pesticide Poisonings – Numbers Revised Upwards Globally

May 5, 2021 ARC

15 times more pesticide poisonings occur annually now than 30 years ago. About 385 million cases of acute unintentional pesticide poisoning occur each year, according to a new systematic review on global pesticide poisoning. This is up from 25 million annually in 1990, the last year such an estimate was made. Here Justice Pesticides outlines key findings of that review, as well as a study on pesticide contamination near intensively managed agricultural areas in South Tyrol, Italy. […]

France | Building Rural Resilience From The Ground Up

May 3, 2021 Hannes Lorenzen

ARC2020 is launching a new project in France to build rural resilience from the ground up. It’s called “Nos Campagnes En Résilience”. The goal is to empower rural communities to realise their own fair and socio-ecological transitions, by connecting and supporting the many exciting initiatives that are emerging on the ground. Why France? And why now? Hannes Lorenzen explains. […]

Czech Republic | COPA No Longer Defends Interests of Majority of Czech Farmers

April 28, 2021 ARC

Frustrated time and again, the Czech Farmers Association has finally quit COPA. In this op-ed, Jaroslav Šebek, Jan Štefl and Jan Staněk argue that COPA is failing to listen to its members. For them, COPA’s handling of the capping of direct payments was the last straw. […]

Pesticide Drift – When Free Trade Dictates Thresholds

April 22, 2021 Isabella Lang

There are limits on the amounts of pesticides allowed in our food. Except, that is, where these limits get in the way of free trade. Isabella Lang calls out the EU’s anticipatory obedience to the WTO, double standards on pesticide exports, and the failure to assess the cumulative health risk of pesticides for humans. […]

“It’s More A Call To ‘Armies’ Than Arms” – Interview with Pat Mooney, Lead Author of ‘A Long Food Movement’

April 19, 2021 Ursula Billington

In this exclusive interview, Ursula Billington speaks to Pat Mooney, co-founder and executive director of the ETC Group, expert with IPES-Food, and lead author of the new report ‘A Long Food Movement: Transforming Food Systems by 2045’. Adamant that we can find opportunity in crisis, Pat shares his insights on Grey Swan events, grassroots versus global strategies, and building muscle to fight for change together. […]

A Long Food Movement: Transforming Food Systems by 2045

April 17, 2021 Ursula Billington

The battle for the future of food: a new report by IPES-Food and the ETC Group sets corporate power against the irresistible force of social energy. Laying out a vision of civil society-centred food systems founded on agroecology, diversity and human rights, this is a call to rapid action, reports Ursula Billington. […]

Time for US and EU to Regulate Factory Farms’ Greenhouse Gas Emissions

April 12, 2021 Ben Lilliston

The factory farm system used by global agribusiness firms is a major source of the greenhouse gas methane. Ben Lilliston and Shefali Sharma of the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP) highlight that the push for appropriate regulation of factory farms’ methane emissions in the U.S. should coincide with EU efforts to regulate these emissions. […]

Letter From The Farm | Rasputin The Ram & The Ethics Of Lamb For Easter Dinner

April 12, 2021 Matthew Hayes

We’re back on Zsámbok farm in Hungary, where Matthew, Kata and the team have been doing some deep thinking about the ethics of taking a life as they slaughter their first sheep. The farm is trying to strike a balance between respecting traditions while pursuing sustainability and efficiency, writes Matthew – and learning as they go. […]

UK | How City Farms Are Opening Their Gates To Equity

April 8, 2021 Ursula Billington

In the UK, where the Black Lives Matter movement coalesced with a pandemic-provoked appreciation for green space and local food for all, questions of unequal land access and ownership are becoming impossible to ignore. Ursula Billington reports on a couple of urban farms that are opening their gates to inclusion. […]

More Legumes Please!

April 6, 2021 ARC

A newly published paper seeks to reposition legumes as protagonists in policy debates and encourage us to identify policies that would better support the transformation of European food- and feed-systems to a new norm, with greatly increased production and consumption of homegrown legumes and homegrown legume-based products. A savoury account of legume policy by lead author Bálint Balázs. […]

Letter From The Farm | Welcome To The Herdade

March 24, 2021 Freixo do Meio Users Cooperative

Welcome to Herdade do Freixo do Meio, a 600-hectare community farm in Alentejo, Portugal. Run by a cooperative, the farm prides itself on agroecological food production that is local, responsible and conscious. Alfredo Sendim explains how the farm is building resilience through a collective approach. […]

Ireland | Forty Shades Of Greenwashing? – Part 1

March 16, 2021 Alison Brogan

Ireland’s current agri-food strategy places environmental protection and economic competitiveness on an equal footing. But can ambitions for growth be squared with the state’s duty to protect the environment? In the first of a two-part series, Alison Brogan investigates the realities of sustainable growth on the Emerald Isle. […]

Ireland | Forty Shades Of Greenwashing? – Part 2

March 14, 2021 Alison Brogan

Can sustainable growth really allow biodiversity to thrive? In the second of a two-part series, Alison Brogan investigates the impact of Ireland’s ambitious agri-food strategy on protected grassland habitats. […]

Food Sovereignty, Romania and the Rising Far-Right

March 8, 2021 ARC

The many challenges faced by Eco Ruralis and the food sovereignty movement in Romania are now compounded by the presence of the far-right in parliament. A recent study by Anna Hajdu and Natalia Mamonova discusses obstacles and opportunities. […]

Letter From The Farm | Three Years In: Realism And Planning For Utopia

March 5, 2021 Chiara Garini

We are back on Chiara Garini’s forest farm at the foot of the Italian Alps. Three years in, her mushroom farm and forest garden is at a crossroads: should she expand or diversify? In any case Chiara is determined to bring utopia into her business plan, and tells us about an exciting new development on the farm… […]