“Save bees and farmers!”: One million signatures in European Citizens’ Initiative signals EU co-legislators to keep environmental ambition

This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. Today, the Commission is responding to the European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) “Save bees and farmers! Towards a bee-friendly agriculture for a healthy environment”. The Commission welcomes the initiative and acknowledges the importance of the ECI, in particular as the interlinked crises of climate change, pollution […]

Small-scale farmers feed the planet. They should not be overlooked in our fight against climate change

This article is brought to you thanks to the collaboration of The European Sting with the World Economic Forum. Author: Alvaro Lario, President, International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) Small-scale farmers feed two out of every three people on the planet, but they are struggling with climate change, inflation and other external shocks. COP27 is an opportunity to […]

Using the sun to keep agricultural produce cool? How Ghana’s farmers are benefiting from solar-powered cold storage

This article is brought to you thanks to the collaboration of The European Sting with the World Economic Forum. Author: Victoria Masterson, Senior Writer, Formative Content Finding ways to store freshly harvested fruit and vegetables is a big problem for smallholder farmers in Ghana in West Africa. Produce can rot quickly in outdoor temperatures, and transporting it to […]

3 ways technology can enhance training for unconnected farmers

This article is brought to you thanks to the collaboration of The European Sting with the World Economic Forum. Author: Dave Hale, Director of TechnoServe Labs, TechnoServe The scope and scale of digital transformation has meant that remote training is being increasingly adopted. Levelling the playing field for unconnected farmers to access training tools can be done by […]

This start-up is using blockchain to help smallholder farmers prosper

This article is brought to you thanks to the collaboration of The European Sting with the World Economic Forum. Author: Natalie Marchant, Writer, Formative Content Many workers in emerging economies are unbanked because they can’t prove their existence in the supply chain. A US-based start-up wants to help by using blockchain to give everyone access to their work […]

Why we all need farmers to have access to better seeds

This article is brought to you thanks to the collaboration of The European Sting with the World Economic Forum. Author: Michael Keller, Secretary General, International Seed Federation We need to incentivize innovation, alleviate market inefficiencies, and protect vital genetic resources to combat global hunger. Too few of the world’s farmers can access improved, quality seeds, which offer higher […]

Quality coffee can boost local economies and benefit farmers – here’s how

This article is brought to you thanks to the collaboration of The European Sting with the World Economic Forum. Author: Guillaume Le Cunff, CEO, Nestlé Nespresso S.A. Supporting the sale of high-quality coffees can help restore livelihoods in regions hit hard by conflict and climate change. Training can be key in helping farmers maximize sustainable farming practices, and […]

New state aid rules: Commission increases national support to farmers up to €25,000

This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. The ceiling for national support to farmers will rise significantly, allowing greater flexibility and efficiency, notably in times of crisis and situations demanding a swift response by the public authorities. Today the Commission has adopted revised rules on state aid in the agriculture sector […]

The Brexit factor in the US-China trade war and other conflicts

Last Friday, the American President Donald Trump aboard Air Force One threatened China with new tariffs on $267 billion of goods heading for the US markets, on top of the $200bn worth of Chinese exports Washington currently is ready to punish with extra levies. The US has already imposed extra tariffs on $50bn of Chinese […]

Drought in Europe: Commission presents additional measures to support farmers

This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. In light of the difficulties faced by European farmers affected by drought this summer, the European Commission continues acting to provide practical support to the sector. Additional flexibility will be granted to help farmers provide sufficient feed to their animals. The European Commission presented […]

The US-Mexico trade deal a threat for others, Trump to single out China, Europe

The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) between US, Mexico and Canada is reborn. It was discarded and denounced by the American President Donald Trump since the first days of his campaign to conquer the White House, and now it returns almost undamaged, just under another name. Last Monday, after more than one year of […]

Big data is coming to agriculture. Farmers must set its course

This article is brought to you thanks to the strategic cooperation of The European Sting with the World Economic Forum. Author: Achim Walter, Professor of Crop Science , ETH Zurich The industrialization of agriculture began some 100 years ago. We are now witnessing its digitalization. But a wave of big data may sweep farmers off their land, unless they […]