agriculture policy News
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A further set of rural development programmes for the period 2007-2013 agreed
Today the Rural Development Committee (consisting of representatives of the 27 Member States) gave a positive opinion to the Rural Development programmes of Belgium (Wallonia), Estonia, France (Martinique, Réunion), Germany (3 Länder), Greece, Italy (4 regions), Portugal (Mainland and Azores) Slovakia and Spain (Navarra) for the financial period 2007-2013. These programmes are defined to ...
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Populations of grassland butterflies decline almost 50 % over two decades
Grassland butterflies have declined dramatically between 1990 and 2011. This has been caused by intensifying agriculture and a failure to properly manage grassland ecosystems, according to a report from the European Environment Agency (EEA). The fall in grassland butterfly numbers is particularly worrying, according to the report, because these butterflies are considered to be representative ...
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Limiting bioenergy crops to marginal land would not work, says study
Large-scale cultivation of bioenergy crops on marginal land is unfeasible, according to a recent study. While limiting bioenergy crops to less productive land could cut the sector’s impact on food prices, the financial incentive to grow crops on more productive land may be too strong for landowners to ignore, the researchers suggest. During recent decades, there has been a growing interest ...
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Plant Growth Regulators Market to grow at 8.5% from 2018 to 2025
The Plant Growth Regulators Market is set to grow from its current market value of more than $5 billion to over $9.7 billion by 2025; as reported in the latest study by Global Market Insights, Inc. Global PGR market will be driven by increasing investment in the agricultural sector. Europe Union is planning to invest approximately USD 426 billion in the coming years under its Common Agricultural ...
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The effects of agricultural land use change on farmland birds in Sweden
The effects of changing agricultural practices on farmland birds are explored in a recently published study from Sweden. Overall abundance of 16 common species declined by 23% between 1994 and 2004, which may be partly caused by changes in land use, such as an increase in the amount of wheat cropland. However, effects vary between species, and some species increased or stayed stable in number. ...
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Irish agriculture faces emissions dilemma
Ireland is facing a classic conflict, pitching economic growth targets against the need for action on climate change. On one hand, Ireland’s planners want to see significant growth in its food and agriculture industry – a sector that is one of the main pillars of the country’s economy, accounting for about 8% of gross domestic product. On the other hand, the country − ...
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Compost and climate change: a novel mitigation strategy?
Native soils are thought to take up more of the greenhouse gas methane than land used for farming. This study shows that, while agriculture can exert an adverse impact on soil methane uptake, the application of soil conditioners like compost may compensate for loss of the methane sink function. The researchers propose new land management strategies based on this finding. Agriculture has become ...
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New ORNL tool gets handle on cropland CO2 emissions
For the first time, farmers have data that tracks at the county level on-site and off-site energy use and carbon dioxide emissions associated with growing crops in the United States. This information is vital for examining changes in cropland production and management techniques and could play an even bigger role as more land is devoted to bioenergy crops, said Oak Ridge National Laboratory's ...
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OECD-FAO expect slower global agricultural production growth
Global agricultural production is expected to grow 1.5 percent a year on average over the coming decade, compared with annual growth of 2.1 percent between 2003 and 2012, according to a new report published by the OECD and FAO today. Limited expansion of agricultural land, rising production costs, growing resource constraints and increasing environmental pressures are the main factors behind the ...
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Janez Potočnik European Commissioner for Environment 20 years on – The importance of EU nature protection
Ladies and Gentlemen, I am delighted to be here today to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Habitats Directive and the Natura 2000 network. As you probably correctly assume, this is not my first celebration, but the message of the importance of both, the Directive and the Network, should be repeated again and again. I am particularly pleased to celebrate this special occasion with you, who ...
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Record-breaking $17.3 billion in crop losses last year; significant portion potentially avoidable
Report shows county-by-county analysis of impacts in the ten states with highest crop insurance losses due to extreme weather: Extreme weather forced the Federal Crop Insurance Program (FCIP) to pay out a record-breaking $17.3 billion in crop losses last year, much of which could have been prevented using water-smart strategies, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council. Payments made ...
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Pollinators vital to our food supply under threat
A growing number of pollinator species worldwide are being driven toward extinction by diverse pressures, many of them human-made, threatening millions of livelihoods and hundreds of billions of dollars worth of food supplies, according to the first global assessment of pollinators. However, the assessment, a two-year study conducted and released today by the Intergovernmental ...
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NRDC and Berkeley Food Institute Announce Winners of the 2014 Growing Green Awards
Today, the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and the Berkeley Food Institute (BFI) celebrate four remarkable leaders who are advancing sustainable food and agriculture at the sixth annual Growing Green Awards. Chosen from hundreds of nominations submitted across the country by a renowned panel of judges, the 2014 winners are changing the way America eats and farms. They have helped ...
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OECD-FAO expect slower global agricultural production growth
Global agricultural production is expected to grow 1.5 percent a year on average over the coming decade, compared with annual growth of 2.1 percent between 2003 and 2012, according to a new report published by the OECD and FAO today. Limited expansion of agricultural land, rising production costs, growing resource constraints and increasing environmental pressures are the main factors behind the ...
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From the ground up: local knowledge informing agri-environmental policy
Agricultural land use presents a number of environmental challenges, which the European Commission is committed to addressing through a range of agri-environmental policies. A new study points to the importance of aligning agri-environmental policies with farmers’ needs and operations. Using the case of land clearing in Finland, the research underlines the importance of incorporating input ...
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FAO and ITTO highlight vast potential of payments for environmental services for conservation of tropical forests
Payments for environmental services (PES), especially in tropical regions, should be recognised as an important tool for conservation and sustainable use of forests and other natural resources and better incorporated into national policies, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO) said. FAO and ITTO discussed the ...
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New PED Talks Video Series Digs into Soil Health
A series of 10-to-15-minute, science-centered “PED Talks” on soil health has been posted on YouTube. Soil peds are aggregated particles of sand, silt, clay, and organic matter. Like their namesake, PED Talks combine soil-related topics including explanations of soil health, how we can improve it, and the progress that’s being made to ensure we have the healthy soils necessary to ...
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Rural development programmes 2007-2014 approved by the EC
Country profile GERMANY Size: 357,000 km² Population: 82.31 millions inhabitants (density: 231 inhabitants/ km²) GDP per capita: € 23,702 (year 2003; source: national strategy plan for rural development) Rural areas cover 80% of the German territory and about 40% of the population live in these areas. The German situation is characterized by important regional discrepancies such ...
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