There are about 2.5 billion people in the world, on 500 million farms, involved with smallholder family agriculture and food production. Their creative capacity to farm productively and sustainably with nature, instead of against it, is perhaps the most powerful force that can be unleashed to overcome the interlinking challenges...

Transformation to sustainable agriculture in the Netherlands is increasingly called for. Agroecology is acknowledged as a sustainable – potentially transformative – alternative for conventional methods of agriculture. However, few farmers adopt agroecological practices. Recent literature suggests failure to achieve sustained and transformational change may be due to neglectance of personal,...

Hoeksche Waard is an island located in the south of the Netherlands. This rural area lies below sea level, and controlling water on agricultural fields is a major issue, especially in the case of heavy rainfall. An Operational Group was set up to test and optimise a sub-soil system to...

Family farms’ support by legislative measures should be a crucial step for EU countries to ensure food security and a healthy environment in Europe. Therefore, the International conference - Increasing legislative support for family farms in the EU focuses on Family Farm Legislation and family farm policy at the EU member states’ level.

This paper examines agroecology within Europe, its dynamics, its position within a broader politico-economic framework and its political significance. It argues that agroecology is contesting and, at least in some places, effectively changing the main social relations of production in today’s agriculture. In this respect, it has a strategically important...

The University of Groningen is presenting a summer school ''Designing sustainable landscapes within regional food systems'' that will hold between 30 August - 3 September 2021. The objective of the school is for participants to develop capacities and skills for the analysis and design of multifunctional agroecological landscapes within sustainable regional food systems,...

Miranda Bout, co-owner of a small fishery company in the Netherlands, shares her experiences of staying afloat during the Covid-19 crisis. Miranda and her husband Job Bout are co-owners of a small-scale fishery company, called ‘Fish from Job’, in the province of Zeeland in the south west of the Netherlands. One...

Many farmers in Europe and North America are burdened with debts due to the heavy investments they have made over the years to buy farm machinery. A new tractor easily costs 100,000 Euro or more. New agricultural policies often force farmers to change as well.

Fishers find their voice in the Netherlands: their traditional gear is finally recognized.

With their ability to mobilise 1.5 billion smallholder producers, forest and farm producer organisations (FFPOs) can help drive a paradigm shift away from large-scale monocultural systems, which are vulnerable to climate change and highly inequitable. FFPO businesses embody greater diversity and equity, pursuing market opportunities for a diverse basket of...

Two years ago, Dutch dairy farmer Matté Eikelenboom started exploring crop diversification in his grazing land, to stimulate soil life and improve the health of his cows. His mixed pastures show promising results for the quality of his feed and the health of his animals. The variety of species also...

Every year either Netherlands or Belgium hosts the bi-national CSA Conference. This year it was held in Amersfoort, in the center of the Netherlands and close to several CSAs. It was a fully sold out event (125+) with a plenary meeting, workshops, a meal and a movie and on Sunday we...

A meeting in Nieuwpoort, Belgium on September 1st, organized by Belgian inshore fisherman Jan De Jonghe and attended by a variety of commercial fishermen from the UK, Belgium and Holland as well as staff from the Low Impact Fishers of Europe Platform [LIFE] and researchers from the Marine Institute, highlighted the...

Around the year 2010, the research field of “transition studies” was gaining increasing attention and was developing into a true research community with the advent of the “Sustainability Transitions Research Network” (STRN), the organisation of annual international sustainability transition (IST) conferences, and the launch of a scientific journal, named “Environmental...

Dirty stable floors where manure is difficult to remove lead to increased emissions and is problematic for animal welfare as infection can spread quickly. A number of companies are working on improving existing building solutions to reduce emissions and improve animal welfare

In Noord-Brabant, a region in South-West Netherlands, Govert van Dis and his wife Phily Brooijmans are running an organic arable farm of around 100 hectares. They run the farm together and actively follow innovations in agroecology. Crops are grown without the use of pesticides and chemical fertilizers, therefore crop rotation...

In Noord-Brabant, a region in South-West Netherlands, Govert van Dis and his wife Phily Brooijmans are running an organic arable farm of around 100 hectares. They run the farm together and actively follow innovations in agroecology. Crops are grown without the use of pesticides and chemical fertilizers, therefore crop rotation forms the...

"Go for it. Choose the rural alternative. Reclaim the fields!" All around Europe, young urban people with no agricultural background decide to start a farm, often using principles of agroecology and community supported agriculture. Despite the many difficulties these new farmers face, their practices are innovative, viable and sustainable. Representing...

The main purpose of this half-day meeting is to gather feedback on the ‘SSF Governability Index’, a new assessment tool being developed by TBTI to help country gauge what needs to be done to improve governability and achieve sustainability of SSF. The forum will also be an opportunity to build...

The transition towards sustainable food systems has often been conceived on the basis of two sets of instruments: legal regulations that impose certain ways of acting and prohibit others, or economic incentives such as taxes and subsidies to reward good practices and discourage less good practices. This classic view of transition...