Euromontana kicks off the year with the publication of its annual booklet of good practices for sustainable mountain development. This publication showcases 10 inspiring initiatives from across Europe (EU and non-EU) collected by Euromontana throughout 2023 to promote initiatives that drive sustainable change in mountain areas. The booklet covers key issues for...

This public policymakers workshop aimed to discuss experiences of territorial policies in Brazil and France and innovative forms of collective action aimed at reconnecting agroecology, food and health. It brought together 15 people in person and 17 online: researchers, members of organizations and networks involved in these themes, public policy...

Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) seeks to address injustices in the food system by supporting small-scale farmers applying agroecological practices through a long-term partnership: a community of members covers the cost of production and receives a share of the harvest throughout the season in return. Despite an orientation towards a more...

This Projects Brochure highlights examples of CAP-funded projects led by women and initiatives that are advancing gender equality in rural areas. In line with the European Commission’s 2020-2025 Gender Equality Strategy, the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) now includes a Specific Objective aimed at enhancing the position of women in farming and...

Food systems are major contributors, but also critically vulnerable, to the triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution. The food sector uses more natural resources than any other sector, which means that the way in which food systems are governed has direct consequences for how natural resources...

Improved feed diversity and more resilient feed production, less dependent on soybean imports. This strategy helps to mitigate droughts effects, through an “avoidance strategy”, with production of forage during seasons less likely to be affected by such phenomenon. Other benefits include improved soil biodiversity and soil health, reduced leaching during...

Against a backdrop of social struggles, the 15th edition of the Pecheurs du Monde International Film Festival was successfully held in Lorient, France. The 15th Pecheurs du Monde film festival took place from March 19 to 26, 2023, with many spectators and exhibition visitors participating across seven municipalities in France. The...

The programme EUR-Organic follows a holistic approach involving all aspects of organic food systems. The students profit from the distinct research foci of the partner universities, which in turn are reflected in the diverse specialisations available for students participating in the programme. None of the partner universities alone can offer such a wide...

Agroecological transitions aim at developing sustainable farming and food systems, adapted to local contexts. Such transitions require the engagement of local actors and the consideration of their knowledge and reasoning as a whole, which encompasses different natures of knowledge (empirical, scientific, local, generic), related to different dimensions (economic, environmental, technical,...

While the negative environmental, social and health impacts of the current food system have been acknowledged and evidenced for several decades, the recent and current transformations in food systems at diverse scales are not yet addressing the many inter-related stakes at play. Due to the much wider set of interactions...

Despite the acknowledged benefits of crop diversification, the transition towards more diversified cropping systems needs to be supported, mainly due to socio-technical lock-ins favoring major dominant crop species. This calls for the development of new approaches to support the design of locally tailored diversified cropping systems. This paper aims to...

Non-extractive and power-equalising research involves different knowledge holders (e.g. researchers and farmers) in a process of close cooperative engagement, jointly producing new knowledge, with mutual learning. As such, this form of cooperative enquiry is a significant reversal from dominant roles, locations, and ways of knowing. I offer some examples and reflections on...

In December 2022, there are officially nearly 400 all over France and they cover 2/3 of French population. Mostly led by territorial authorities (municipalities, inter-municipalities, Départements, Parcs Naturels Régionaux, etc.), they have to include a series of key issues and actions (food justice, food education, food waste, territorial anchoring of...

Projects and collective dynamics around territorial agri-food transitions are multiplying, boosted by public policies around the Territorial Food Projects in France, but going far beyond them. This booklet proposes and illustrates through concrete examples some principles aimed at encouraging a better taking in account of the plurality of visions of ecologisation...

There is a general lack of engagement from grain farmers to crop diversification, namely due to limited markets and outlets for harvested products. On the flip side, within the dairy sector, there is reliance on imported soybean and it is currently hard to substitute this cheap source of protein with...

Le projet LIFE Coteaux Gascons (LIFE CG) a émergé sur le département du Gers sous l’impulsion de l’ADASEA 32. Ce projet, d’une durée de 5 ans (2021 – 2025), cherche à répondre aux enjeux d'interdépendance entre élevage et biodiversité dans les coteaux gascons ainsi qu’aux enjeux de préservation du patrimoine...

From March 28 to 30, an international working meeting dedicated to agroecology – ecological agriculture, which contributes to sustainability and climate resilience, is taking place in Belgrade for the first time. This gathering is part of the project “Mediterranean Caravan of Agroecology”. Representatives of associations from several countries are gathering...

This 6-week course aims at helping you discover what agroecology is, through the complexity of the various approaches that have emerged over the years and in various regions of the world, and through the ways, they can be implemented in the fields, and studied, as agricultural practices. The syllabus is designed...

« Horticulture for a world in transition ». Taking benefits from this new context, the organizing committee is preparing an unprecedented IHC in a hybrid version, which will focus on three priorities:1) to host an outstanding scientific event,2) to reinforce the links between research, education and industry, and3) to enhance the links between Southern and...

Research Institute of Organic Agriculture FiBL October 2022 Newsletter News highlighting FiBL’s research, training and advisory services