The concept of “High Nature Value farming” developed in the early 1990s from a growing recognition that the conservation of biodiversity in Europe depends on the continuation of low-intensity farming systems across large areas of countryside (see Beaufoy et al., 1994; Bignal et al., 1994; Bignal & McCracken, 1996; 2000)....

Fish All Days allows customers to buy fresh fish straight from the boat – or have it delivered directly to their doorstep. By combining more traditional educational and promotional campaigns with the use of new technology and social media, a trawler from Molfetta has developed a loyal network of customers. The...

Family farming is the most common operational farming model in Europe – representing 97 % of the European Union’s (EU) 12 million farms. Thus it is of great importance in the EU. It covers a diverse range of situations, including farms of all sizes. While there are obvious differences across...

Documentaries on the Best Practices in Rural Development carried out by young farmers that have been granted support under EU Rural development policies.

12 million farms, 172 million hectares of agricultural land, 25 million people involved in agricultural production – these are some of the key data for the EU farming sector in 2010; but what about the situation of individual farms and how do things differ between Member States and as compared...

Short Food Supply Chains (SFSCs) have established in parallel to conventional food chains, playing a key role in the emerging food networks that are continuously arising as an alternative to the globalized agri-food model. The diversities and particularities of the experiences existing all over the world (box schemes, farmers’ markets,...

Looks at solidarity purchasing groups (Gruppi di Acquisto Solidale, GAS) in Rome as an example of sustainable food consumption.

Documentaries on the Best Practices in Rural Development carried out by young farmers that have been granted support under EU Rural development policies.

In Northern Italy, the autonomous province of South Tyrol has the biggest single area producing apple trees in Europe. The 19 000 ha of apple production area in South Tyrol supplies up to 50% of the national Italian apple market, 15% of the European and 2% of the global apple...

Domestic and donor-driven development agendas for African agriculture are spurring smallholder family farming as a catalyst for food security and poverty reduction. Family farms are also the backbone of agriculture in the European Union, although the process of concentration has gone further than in Africa. European agricultural policy reforms now...

The concept of family farming is the recipient of much high-level political capital right now...  The United Nations has declared 2014 the International Year of Family Farming, the primary aim of which is to promote, develop and strengthen all types of familyoriented agriculture - from horticulture and livestock to fisheries and forestry - as a socially...

All businesses need to innovate if they are to thrive, and family farms are no exception. By thinking ahead and developing new approaches, farmers can increase output, develop new and improved products, diversify and tap into new income streams, and remain environmentally sustainable. Innovative farms are more likely to weather...

Most of world’s rural population depend on livestock for their livelihood, especially in the Mediterranean, African and many Asian countries. To reduce poverty, fight hunger and ensure global food security, there is an urgent need to increase livestock production in sustainable ways. However, livestock production systems in those areas are...

In this issue of GREAT insights we have asked the ‘custodians’ of the UN Year of Family Farming and the AU Year of Food Security, the Director General of the Food Agriculture Organization and the AU Commissioner for Agriculture, what outcomes they expect from these international processes, particularly in terms of the...

Documentaries on the Best Practices in Rural Development carried out by young farmers that have been granted support under EU Rural development policies.

Documentaries on the Best Practices in Rural Development carried out by young farmers that have been granted support under EU Rural development policies.

Documentaries on the Best Practices in Rural Development carried out by young farmers that have been granted support under EU Rural development policies.

Grassland-based systems are no longer seen exclusively as livestock production enterprises but as multiple use systems with important consequences for the global environment. They are crucial for the protection of ecosystem goods and services, for tourism and for mitigating climate change. Well-managed grasslands provide important benefits such as increased water...

The initial project dates back to 2003 (in the context of Leader+), when 8 farmers developed a quality programme for growing, feeding and breeding the typical “Alpine Grey” cattle. Following the decline of the milk market, the local farmers'' cooperative had the idea of extending the quality programme to the...

A consortium composed of the University of Tuscia, Novamont – Research and innovation centre in agriculture – and three farms (Azienda Agricola Luca Treppaoli, Azienda Agraria Il Poggiolo, Azienda Agraria Pizzi Giorgiomaria) was formed to address the need for innovative solutions to the regional farms' struggle to survive in a...