A new publication by Science for Environment Policy (within the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Environment) explores the impacts of Agri-environmental Schemes on European farming, with a particular focus on biodiversity and ecosystem services.
Based on scientific research, the publication provides suggestions to further improve the design and uptake of the schemes and related measures in order to secure even greater effectiveness and environmental protection in the future.
A new #EUFarmRecipies book – recently launched by COPA-COGECA, the association of farmers and agri-cooperatives in the EU – showcases recipes from across the EU, “each with a story to tell”.
The book is intended to bring consumers closer to agriculture, explaining how the food was produced and the history behind each recipe, thus showing consumers the real value of their food.
A recent publication by the European Parliament’s Think Tank examines structural change in EU farming, seeking to answer the question “How can the CAP support a 21st century European model of agriculture?”.
The study explores farm structural change separately in Western and in Central and Eastern Europe, and goes on to identify ways of strengthening food value chains in the EU.
Two new case studies published by the OECD examine synergies and trade-offs between agricultural productivity and climate change mitigation and adaptation in the Netherlands and France.
The case studies explore the extent to which agricultural and other policies can achieve compatibility between higher productivity and climate change objectives. Finally, the papers review the overall success of the policy framework and make recommendations for improvement in each case.
Save the date! A European seminar building on experiences and lessons from putting Community-led Local Development (CLLD) in practice will take place on 8-10 November 2017, in Győr, Hungary.
The event will discuss how CLLD is applied in rural and coastal areas, how it can be used to promote inclusion, as well as its new urban and social dimensions.
This is the third in a series of CLLD seminars organised jointly by the four EU Commission Directorates-General managing the European Structural and Investment Funds, following one in Båstad, Sweden (December 2016) and one in Edinburgh, UK (December, 2015).
The Guidance for the implementation of LEADER Cooperation activities under the 2014-2020 Rural Development Programmes (RDPs), produced by the European Commission’s DG AGRI, has been updated.
The updated document includes the proposals of a dedicated ENRD Practitioner-led Working Group. For additional information, see also LEADER/CLLD Cooperation factsheets and ‘landscape’, overviewing relevant rules and procedures in national and regional RDPs.
EU support to young farmers should be better targeted to foster effective generational renewal, according to the latest report by the European Court of Auditors.
The report highlights that while Rural Development policy is well suited to address young farmers’ needs, a better definition of objectives and application of selection criteria are needed to prioritise the best projects. It concludes on a set of recommendations for making the aid effective.
Apply to the new EU-China Young Farmers Programme and get an opportunity to go on a study tour in China to learn about and exchange on modern practices in agriculture and rural development. The application deadline is 10 September 2017.
The exchange programme, jointly organised by the EU and the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture, will send European young farmers on two-week study visits to China (November 2017 and June 2018) and welcome their Chinese counterparts to EU Member States.
The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) “should continue to be managed at the EU level and […] helping farmers and protecting the environment should be its two main goals,” according to findings of the public consultation on the CAP. Read the full press release.
The results of the consultation were announced during the ‘CAP: Have your say’ conference (7 July 2017 – Brussels, Belgium), also highlighting the need for a simpler and less bureaucratic policy. Respondents identified clear aims for the future CAP such as ensuring a fair standard of living for farmers, effectively addressing climate change, as well as economic, social and territorial cohesion across the EU.
For additional information, see:
The 8th NRNs’ Meeting (26-28 June 2017 – Jyväskylä Region, Finland) discussed new networking tools and methods to support the implementation of the Cork 2.0 Declaration in Rural Development Programme (RDP) delivery.
The meeting used a methodology called ‘Innovation Camp’ to develop new ideas on the themes of innovation, communications, simplification, and ‘rural proofing’ to take forward the work of the rural networks.
The ideas generated included: fostering and celebrating innovation with an EU-wide Innovation Day; developing rural apps through an interactive game for children; creating a specific Network Support Unit for young people; making certain that NRNs ‘steal’ good ideas from one another; actively taking ‘rural proofing’ across the networks; and putting simplification into action.
The team-work and format of the 'Innovation Camp' were also highly appreciated by the participants!