In the last years, Agroecology Europe started to map agroecological initiatives in different countries or regions of Europe with the aim to support the development of agroecology in Europe, raise awareness for it and thereby strengthen agroecology in Europe. This work, namely the mapping of initiatives, writing of reports and coordination...

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.

The project successfully reinforced the basis for the cooperative management of shared multispecies fisheries in the four MedSudMed participating countries: Italy, Libya, Malta and Tunisia. This was achieved through the implementation of subregional research programmes, the establishment of scientific networks, and improved national capacity building. Fisheries scientists and staff in...

The initiative involves the close collaboration between scientists and fishers, combining fishers local and experiential knowledge with scientific information in the quest for solutions.

his article illustrates how the creation of a Marine Protected Area (MPA) in Malta is failing to adequately include stakeholders in the configuration of conservation targets and measures, leaving local fishers increasingly disempowered. Through a series of interviews and long-term participatory observation, it has been found that the leaders who represent local...

Fisheries Ministers, the European Commission, GFCM-FAO, and key stakeholders including WWF will meet in Malta for the official adoption of the Regional Plan of Action for Small-Scale Fisheries in the Mediterranean and Black Sea (RPOA-SSF). This will demonstrate the strong political commitment to ensure a sustainable future for the sector. ...

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...

A ministerial conference on Mediterranean fisheries is organized in Malta on 29-30 March 2017 to adopt a common declaration (Malta MedFish4Ever Declaration) on the future of Mediterranean fisheries. The event consists of a Stakeholder roundtable, a launching meeting, a ministerial conference meeting and a ceremony for the signature of the...

Nearly 61% of EU young farmers consider the availability of land for purchase and 57% the availability of land for rent as the most difficult challenges they face, often due to issues such as land ownership laws, inheritance rules and land prices, according to a new external report published by...

The analysis of survey responses shows that young farmers have different expectations and needs, depending on the region in which they live, the agricultural sector in which they work (intensive, extensive), their level of education, their relation to the farm (owner of the farm or not) etc. This study revealed...

Hosted on CIHEAM’s website (ciheam.org), the Mediterranean Observatory aims at contributing to the exchange of ideas by providing information and analyses on agriculture, food and development within the Euro-Mediterranean area. In this regard, various statistical indicators were collected and processed in order to offer essential information for all those who,...

Mr. Chris Zahra, is a young full time farmer operating a livestock farm in the Virtu’ area. He is engaged solely in the livestock sector rearing a herd of 73 ovines. To improve his operation  Chris has invested in his holding and benefitted from Measures 121 and 123

Until 2020, the new CAP is going to invest EUR 134 million in the Maltese farming sector and rural areas. Key political priorities have been defined at European level such as: jobs, sustainability, modernization, innovation and quality. In parallel, flexibility was given to Malta to adapt both direct payments and...

Organic farming no longer serves a niche market in the European Union (EU). In spite of the global economic crisis, the mainstreaming of organic products has maintained its impressive trajectory: since 2008 there has been an average annual growth rate of 8%; annual turnover has risen to €20 billion; and more than 500...

In the world, more than 80 per cent of farms are family farms – in total more than 500 million economic and social entities. In Europe 25 million people, 172 million hectares of agricultural land and 12 million farms are involved in EU agricultural production. A vast majority of these...

The Ciappara family, whose produce is sold under the Hi-Grade Chick label, has received close to €400,000 from rural development funds through applications filed by different family members. Under the Rural Development Programme 2007 - 2013, Catherine Ciappara received €36,827 in 2009 and another €150,000 under the second call issued...

The beneficiary of the project is a tradition female farmer who deals with cultivating and trading vegetables in Malta. This is where the project idea came from and the financing possibility allowed her to put it into practice, transforming her traditional vegetal farm into a farm with bio-products. The general...

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)....

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...

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...