Farmers in France are seeking growth through direct sales, short supply chains and local agriculture, targeting a burgeoning market in local produce. In 2014, a study on French citizens and local consumption found that 75% of people wanted to buy more products from their local area. Short supply chains are reassuring...

Spots-vidéos reçus lors du concours national de vidéo "Cuisine et Interdépendance" organisé dans le cadre du projet EAThink, par le Réseau International Urgenci. Action réalisée avec le soutien de l'Union européenne, la Région Normandie, l'Académie de Caen et la Fondation Charles Léopold Mayer.

Andy Cato is a farmer who combines modern animal traction, beef cattle and crops on his farm in the Southwest of France. He shared the story of his experiments to improve his soil and his farm’s productivity, finding ways to limit tillage in the context of organic agroforestry production with...

LIFE members, staff and scientists explain current challenges and future opportunities to give the right to fish Bluefin Tuna back to small-scale fishing communities. Small-scale fishers play a vital role for coastal communities. For centuries they fished for Bluefin tuna, which provided a significant seasonal source of income for them. Since...

On April 6th, 2017, Euromontana’s team and members of the South-West Europe Circular Economy Group visited Alzen, a village in the Pyrenées Ariégeoises, in the south-west of France. Alzen has managed to become an attractive destination for new inhabitants, including young people. Indeed, in 40 years, Alzen quadrupled its population....

Avec 7 emplois induits par exploitation, l'agriculture est un secteur économique majeur en France. Elle contribue à l'économie nationale, mais aussi au maintien d'un tissu économique local sur l'ensemble des territoires. Pourtant, trop souvent, les actions politiques dans le domaine agricole ont manqué d'un cap clairement défini et clairement affiché....

Are the founding principles of open source – the ability to share, distribute, modify and reproduce information – transferable to agriculture? If in the computer field, free software is now a reality, this paper examines whether and how agricultural tools can be created and disseminated through ‘free’ processes. We look...

L'élevage est un secteur majeur pour l'économie des territoires et structure les paysages ruraux en Europe. Mais il fait aussi l'objet de controverses (dommages environnementaux, bien-être animal...). Un très riche travail de synthèse des connaissances a été conduit dans le cadre d'une expertise collective, dont une synthèse est ici présentée....

Roadside and farmland hedgerows in Normandy (France) were disappearing. Local inhabitants wanted to preserve this traditional landscape feature. So they decided to generate an economic value for the hedgerows and set up a short wood supply chain. Involving all local groups in this was essential.

The Centrales Villageoises (“Village Centers”, in English) are local companies aiming at developing renewable and sustainable energies in rural and mountain territories in France by involving citizens, local communities and businesses.

In the Aveyron river basin (France), the low-lying, fertile lands are usually used for monocultures, and the higher, less fertile areas for livestock. Recently, a research project has led to the construction of a scenario in which crop farmers would introduce alfalfa into their rotations, in response to more frequently...

Urgenci, the international network of Local Solidarity Partnerships for Agroecology between producers and consumers (LSPA) and Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) has recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). As part of the 3-year mutual commitment, the Mediterranean network, including members...

Between November 22 - 25, 2017 Lebanon hosted the 2nd Learning Journey on LSPA: Local Solidarity Partnerships for Agro-ecology between producers and consumers. Around 20 facilitators from 11 Mediterranean countries (Algeria, Egypt, France, Greece, Italy, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, Tunisia, Turkey, Syria) participated and shared their experiences through meetings and site...

"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...

Generational renewal on farms addresses both farm succession and set up. This trend has been researched through a LEADER-funded project with the title “Creation of farming activity by entrepreneurs outside the family framework: specific needs, levers of action, complementarity between the different support tools” implemented in France by the Jeunes...

In the period to 2020, the new CAP will invest about EUR 63 billion1 in France's farming sector and rural areas. Key political priorities have been defined at European level such as: jobs and growth, sustainability, modernisation, innovation and quality. At the same time, France has flexibility to adapt both...

This short video explains the basis of Participatory Guarantee Systems (PGS). It was designed as a trailer and short version of the documentary: A guide to Participatory Guarantee Systems for Organic Agricultureavailable to watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GbwiC...The video was produced by IFOAM – Organics International with the financial support of the Technical...

  Farmers in Koutiala, a district in Southern Mali grow cereals to feed their families and keep cows for milk and as a form of savings. There, all the arable land is currently under cultivation. During the four months of the rainy season, farmers prioritise the cultivation of cereals over fodder...

EURAF and INRA, the French National Institute of Agronomical Research are very pleased to welcome you in Montpellier for the Third European Agroforestry Conference. Montpellier is the core center in France for Agroforestry Research and demonstration. Both temperate zone and tropical zone agroforestry are targeted by Montpellier researchers. Montpellier is also...

A hazelnut farm in France’s Aquitaine region sought to upgrade and extend its visitor centre to improve access to children and disabled people as well as to provide more facilities. The plan also responded to a rise in overall visitors. The hazelnut farm used EAFRD funding to create an interactive...