The Operational Group Biogemüse in Northern Hesse (Germany) identified a growing demand for fresh organic vegetables, but there was a lack of local produce available. At the same time the rural population was falling steadily and there was a low number of jobs which affected vulnerable population groups in particular....

Natural resource management requires cross-sectoral policy integration because the scope of current environmental and sustainability issues surpasses traditional sectoral boundaries. While the emergence of policy networks in such cases has been observed in the policy integration literature, little is known about how these networks are formed and how they influence...

The Federal Republic of Germany, through the German Development Bank (Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau - KfW) has contributed EUR 17,950,000 to support work by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) to rehabilitate key irrigation and agricultural infrastructure in Yemen and communities training. The three-year resilience programme (2021–2023) in...

White-flowering, light-hulled peas can be included up to 30 % in poultry feed. Growers of field pea can sell their crops to compound feed producers. However, trading pea is not always straightforward and on-farm or local use generally increases the profitability of growing pea. For this on-farm use to be...

Maria Tekülve, the Deputy Head of Division and Focal Point for Rural Development and Agroecology at the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) reflects on the role of agroecological approaches in international cooperation in an interview with Silvia Richter for the International Journal for Rural Development. The material reflects Maria Tekülve's personal opinion. ''A significantly...

Tackling biodiversity loss is a growing priority for human survival. Introducing incentives for positive actions could play a key role in helping to reverse this loss. This paper explores the potential of using a novel approach to promote biodiversity conservation. Biodiversity credits or ‘biocredits’ are coherent units of measurement that track...

Most flowering plants, including wild species and many food crops, are pollinated by animals and are vital, therefore, for biological production and the maintenance of biodiversity. Pollinators benefit from diverse natural habitats for forage and nesting, especially when these are limited in plant production systems. Landscape and forest management practices...

Joint goals for sustainable development. With its 2030 Agenda, the United Nations has presented a global action framework for sustainable develop-ment. The 17 Sustainable Development Goals for 2030, with a total of 169 sub-goals, are the cornerstone of the Agenda. The German Sustainability Strategy is informed by the 2030 Agenda...

The food supply has been disrupted by COVID-19. Shopping in supermarkets and grocery stores in the pandemic may not be a pleasant experience, as it can often lead to disappointment and anxiety since a lot of food items are not available or out of stock. The pandemic’s impact on the...

There is a pressing need for overarching digital strategies to unlock the potential of digitisation in the agricultural sector.Digital technologies can help European farmers increase their profitability and reduce their environmental impact, however they are more effective when supported by public policy. In the northern part of Germany, the region of...

The number of young people who want to work in agriculture is shrinking. Those who choose farming in Germany have to put up with high acquisition costs, complicated bureaucratic requirements and a modest income. 

The 12-minute film ‘We Unite’ is a window into the lives of two organic farmers and the reasons they join the yearly ‘We are Fed-Up’ demonstration in Germany. Along with hundreds of other farmers, they drive their tractors into the heart of Berlin where they unite with thousands of citizens calling for a better food and...

German Parliamentarian groups have pointed out that the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) recognizes the potential and approaches of agroecology as an important response to social problems such as poverty, inequality, hunger and lack of gender equality. In addition, environmental challenges such as deforestation, water scarcity, rising carbon...

Dairy farming is currently facing a number of challenges. On the one hand, the products have to meet high environmental standards and animal welfare requirements, on the other hand the market demands cheap products. Kirsten Wosnitza, who runs a farm of 120 dairy cows in Schleswig-Holstein with her husband Gerd...

Wild Fruits is an Operational Group from Germany working on the production and processing potential of wild fruits such as chokeberries (Aronia spp.), roses (Rosa spp.) and flowering quinces (Chaenomeles spp.). There is a high market demand for these fruits which are considered health products, however there are very few...

Dairy farming is currently facing a number of challenges. On the one hand, the products have to meet high environmental standards and animal welfare requirements, on the other hand the market demands cheap products. Kirsten Wosnitza, who runs a farm of 120 dairy cows in Schleswig-Holstein with her husband Gerd...

The European Rural Youth Forum (ERYF) is a non-profit international NGO designed to provide a platform for young people from rural areas to discuss issues that are crucial to their countries and region. These topics are addressed during an annual summer university (7-10 days), which is held in a different...

The EIP-AGRI network is holding a two-day workshop dedicated to Operational Groups dealing with organic farming, in cooperation with the German Federal Office for Agriculture and Food, Innovationsbüro EIP Agrar Schleswig-Holstein, Innovationszentrum Niedersachsen GmbH and IFOAM EU. Around 300 Operational Group projects supported by the Rural Development Programmes have started....

SOLMACC, an EU- LIFE funded project coordinated by IFOAM EU is about testing and sharing strategies for organic and low-input farming to mitigate and adapt to climate change. It wants to demonstrate that agriculture can be climate-friendly, but you need to apply a combination of optimised organic farming practices to...

"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...