European Learning Network on<br /> Functional AgroBiodiversity
     
European Learning Network on
Functional AgroBiodiversity

News

European Seminar on ELN-FAB in 2010

6 September - On 11-12 November 2010 the annual European Seminar on the European Learning Network on Functional AgroBiodiversity (ELN-FAB) will be held in Ljubljana, Slovenia. The aim of the meeting is to bring together representatives of various stakeholder groups and national and international organizations throughout Europe to collect and exchange experience about functional agrobiodiversity. It is being organized by ECNC in cooperation with DIVERSITAS and the European Environment Agency (EEA), and will be hosted by the Agricultural Institute of Slovenia (KIS).

Throughout Europe, farmers, researchers, policymakers and other stakeholders are testing and implementing various forms of agrobiodiversity. At present, this practical experience is extremely fragmented and barely accessible. The European Learning Network on Functional AgroBiodiversity (ELN-FAB) aims to change this by accumulating knowledge on how biodiversity can be mobilized to increase sustainable agricultural production, to provide a platform for exchange of knowledge and practical experiences between farmers, policymakers and scientists to enable fast and effective implementation of best practices, and to promote sustainable agriculture in the 27 Member States of the EU, plus Norway and Switzerland.

For more information see the invitation, preliminary programme, registration form, travel and hotel information, and a brochure about the concept of FAB. The preliminary programme will be revised further as other speakers confirm. Please visit www.eln-fab.eu for the updated programme.

If you would like to participate in the seminar, please fill in the enclosed registration form and mail it to the organizers before 15 October. If you require any further information, visit www.eln-fab.eu or contact Veronika Mikos by email at mikos@ecnc.org or phone +31 (0)13 5 944 944.

Please forward this information to your colleagues or interested persons.

We look forward to welcoming you to the European Seminar on ELN-FAB in Slovenia!

 



Seminar on the European Learning Network on Functional AgroBiodiversity (ELN-FAB) in the Baltic Sea Region

1 September - On 25 and 26 August 2010 the ’Seminar on the European Learning Network on Functional AgroBiodiversity (ELN-FAB) in the Baltic Sea Region’ was held in Rakvere, Estonia. The event was co-organized by the Estonian Ministry of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Centre (Estonia) and ECNC-European Centre for Nature Conservation (host of the ELN-FAB Secretariat).

Understanding the relations between biodiversity and sustainable agricultural production and translating such knowledge into management practices that can be applied at the scale of farms and landscapes is of key importance for a robust and environmentally friendly agriculture in Europe. In this context, the concept of Functional AgroBiodiversity (FAB) has recently been introduced. The seminar gave insight to the concept of FAB and the benefits it can provide for a more sustainable agriculture.

The 59 participants, from 11 European countries, represented the three main stakeholder groups of the Network: farmers, policymakers and scientists. The facilitated workshop focused on the themes ‘What are the main barriers to deliver FAB in the Baltic Sea region?’ and ’What we expect from /or/ what could be done by politicians/scientists/farmers?’. The outcome of the productive discussions will provide input into the planned handbook on FAB which will help the stakeholders to strengthen the role of FAB in their operations and identify what is needed.

The ELN-FAB project is currently financially supported by the Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment (VROM), the Netherlands; Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN), Switzerland; Flemish Land Agency (VLM), Belgium; Ministry of Agriculture, Estonia; and the European Environment Agency (EEA). The further support of funders is being sought in order to expand the Network in the long term.

For more information visit: http://pmk.agri.ee/pkt/fabseminar
 

 

New issue of ELN-FAB Newsletter published

29 June - The new issue of the ELN-FAB Newsletter has been published today. This newsletter exists to inform the partners, intermediaries and interested stakeholders of the ELN-FAB initiative. Contents include:

  • Benefits of functional agrobiodiversity described in new brochure
  • Seminar on the ELN-FAB in the Baltic Sea Region
  • Updates on the ELN-FAB website

and more...

You can find it here: ELN-FAB Newsletter, No. 2, June 2010
 



Seminar on European Learning Network on Functional AgroBiodiversity (ELN-FAB) in Baltic Sea Region

4 June - EU farmers and policymakers increasingly acknowledge that biodiversity and agricultural production need not necessarily be in conflict, but can potentially strengthen each other, as experience has already shown. In this context, the ’Seminar on European Learning Network on Functional AgroBiodiversity (ELN-FAB) in Baltic Sea Region’ will be held in Rakvere in northern Estonia on 25-26 August 2010. The event is being jointly organized by the Estonian Ministry of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Centre (Estonia) and ECNC-European Centre for Nature Conservation (host of the ELN-FAB Secretariat).

Understanding the relations between biodiversity and sustainable agricultural production and translating such knowledge into management practices that can be applied at the scale of farms and landscapes is of key importance for a robust and environmentally friendly agriculture in Europe. In this context, the concept of Functional AgroBiodiversity (FAB) has recently been introduced. This seminar introduces the concept of FAB and the benefits it can provide for a more sustainable agriculture.

Please find the invitation, programme and registration form below. You are kindly asked to send the completed registration form by email to fabseminar@pmk.agri.ee. Registration closes on 15 July! For organizational reasons, we ask you to express your interest in participating as early as possible. Your registration will be confirmed after the registration deadline. All relevant information (regularly updated) is also available at: http://pmk.agri.ee/pkt/fabseminar. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Iiri Selge by email at fabseminar@pmk.agri.ee or phone + 372 53 021 925. Please forward this information to your colleagues or interested persons.

Invitation
Seminar programme
Registration form
 

 

Benefits of functional agrobiodiversity described in new brochure

1 June - A brochure explaining the concept of functional agrobiodiversity (FAB) has been prepared by the European Learning Network on Functional AgroBiodiversity (ELN-FAB) in order to inform the interested public about benefits and possibilities that FAB offers. It focuses on the promotion of the concept and gives examples of FAB-based practices.

The brochure is disseminated during the EU Green Week event (1–4 June 2010, Brussels), and will also be used after that for other purposes.

You can find it here: Functional AgroBiodiversity, for a more sustainable agriculture and countryside in Europe
 



ELN-FAB steering group meeting discusses future activities
4 May 2010, Copenhagen, Denmark

The project team and steering group of the European Learning Network on Functional AgroBiodiversity (ELN-FAB) held its first meeting for 2010 to discuss the progress made so far this year and the future of the initiative. The meeting was hosted by the European Environment Agency (EEA) in Copenhagen.

Fields of cooperation between ELN-FAB and the EEA were identified during the meeting. One of the key issues discussed during the meeting was the organization of the annual ELN-FAB European Seminar later this year. The participants exchanged information on processes, publications and meetings of relevance to ELN-FAB, and also discussed what kind of approach the Network should take to be balanced between different stakeholder groups. A brochure on the concept of functional agrobiodiversity was discussed in detail. This brochure will be disseminated at the Green Week 2010 event (1–4 June 2010, Brussels).
 



The future of European agriculture policy Call for a public debate

12 May - At the end of the year the European Commission will publish a Communication on the future of the CAP after 2013. But, before setting down any initial policy guidelines for this strategic sector, Commissioner Cioloş is launching a public debate on the Common Agricultural Policy’s future, objectives, principles and contribution to the ‘Europe 2020’ strategy to inform the preparatory work for the decision-making process.

Mr Cioloş announced that a special website (http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/cap-debate) has been created, which will be open for contributions to the public debate until June 2010. An independent body will then produce a summary of these contributions. In July 2010, the European Commission will organise a conclusive conference on the public debate. It hopes to draw strong ideas from this to develop its Communication on the CAP after 2013, which should be presented at the end of 2010.

In addition to how the CAP can contribute to developing the Europe 2020 strategy, the public debate will centre around four main topics:
• Why do we need a European Common Agricultural Policy?
• What are society’s objectives for agriculture in all its diversity?
• Why should we reform the CAP and how can we make it meet society’s expectations?
• What tools do we need for tomorrow’s CAP?

For more information:
http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/cap-debate
 

 

First global book on farmland birds

14 April - Farmlands, collectively, cover 5 billion hectares, thus forming the largest habitat on the globe. This very diverse habitat supports a huge variety of birds: 3,600 of the world's 10,000 bird species are listed as farmland species by BirdLife International. Until recently, a global review of this birdlife had never been published.

The book Farmland Birds across the World now fills this gap.

The book has been written by seven experts in biology and agriculture and compiled by the Dutch Centre for Agriculture and Environment (CLM). It is published by Lynx Edicions in Barcelona, publisher of the famous Handbook of the Birds of the World.

For more information see: Flyer – Farmland Birds across the World

 



First issue of ELN-FAB Newsletter published

10 March - The first issue of the ELN-FAB Newsletter has been published today. This newsletter exists to inform the partners, intermediaries and interested stakeholders of the ELN-FAB initiative. Contents include:

  • Steering group meeting and the new chair
  • Identified fields of cooperation with the European Environment Agency (EEA)
  • Recent meetings in Estonia

and more...

You can find it here: ELN-FAB Newsletter, No. 1, March 2010
 



Scenario study on the future of European agriculture and the rural world updated

8 March 2010 - Last week, an update of the Scenar 2020 study was officially published by the European Commission. The objective of this Scenar 2020-II study was to refine and improve the identification of major future trends and driving factors – and the perspectives and challenges resulting from them – provided by the initial Scenar 2020 study (December 2006) on the future of European agriculture and the rural world. In this respect the study does not aim at evaluating the impact of potential policy changes but to compare how the agricultural sector might evolve under different, and somewhat extreme, pathways which, to a large, although not full extent, follow the assumptions of the first study.

The study was carried out by ECNC-European Centre for Nature Conservation, Landbouw-Economisch Instituut (LEI) and Leibniz-Zentrum für Agrarlandschaftsforschung e.V. (ZALF). ECNC coordinated the project and edited the final report. For more information, you can contact the project coordinator, Vineta Goba.
 



Biodiversity and agriculture: resumption of negotiations

1 March 2010 - Hostile sisters when one invades or poisons the other, biodiversity and agriculture can also be perfect partners. INRA's research pursues this aim. Chickweed (mouron in French) has such a bad reputation that it is stigmatized in the French expression se faire du mouron, which means ‘to worry’ or ‘to fret’, and worrying is never a good thing. Like Colorado beetles or aphids, chickweed is overpowering; it stifles wheat, ruins rosebushes and eats our potatoes. Farmers and gardeners have been fighting this bad seed for centuries, sometimes with weapons of mass destruction.

Natural biodiversity versus artificial nature? It may be a tough conflict. But the National Institute for Agricultural Research (INRA) is working towards a peace treaty, even cooperation. A brief summary of the progress in negotiations. Read more…
 



2nd phase of the ELN-FAB initiative has started

25 January 2010 - ECNC, as the host of ‘European Learning Network on Functional Agrobiodiversity’ Secretariat, is very grateful for the contribution of numerous organizations to the initiative as it will enable us to continue the work in the next phase of broadening and intensifying the current activities of the Network in order to achieve the objective of integrating biodiversity concerns in agriculture in Europe and to help to optimize agrobiodiversity benefits.

The project team and steering group of ELN-FAB met for the second time on 26 November 2009 in Brussels to discuss the progress made during 2009 and the future of the initiative. Dr Felix Wäckers from University of Lancaster, UK accepted to be the chair for the next two years (2010-2011).

Since the secretariat is established it has made sure that the Network functions properly in providing the different stakeholders with a means to share knowledge and experience. The key products for the next phase of the project (2010–2011) are focusing on:

  • the ELN-FAB website (www.eln-fab.eu), providing information on functional agrobiodiversity, examples of good practices from all over Europe, news and more;
  • a register of projects throughout Europe covering the subject of functional agrobiodiversity;
  • annual ELN-FAB European seminars bringing together representatives of the various target groups from several countries, and collecting and exchanging experience;
  • communication and outreach activities, such as leaflets and presentations at events;
  • a series of awareness raising workshops about FAB throughout Europe to form working partnerships;
  • a handbook for FAB to help the stakeholders to strengthen the role of FAB in their operations.

The ELN-FAB is financially supported by:

  • Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment (VROM), the Netherlands;
  • Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN), Switzerland;
  • Flemish Land Agency (VLM), Belgium;
  • Ministry of Agriculture, Estonia;
  • European Environment Agency (EEA).

Fundraising continues in order to expand the Network in the long term.
 



Farmers say that Conserving Biodiversity is a shared responsibility

January 11, 2010 marked the launch of the International Year of Biodiversity under the theme Biodiversity is Life – Biodiversity is Our Life. It is a theme of critical interest to farmers since biodiversity and agriculture are interdependent; both are also key elements to address climate change and food security. Conserving biodiversity is a shared responsibility of stakeholders worldwide, and farmers are willing to do their part.

The International Federation of Agricultural Producers (IFAP) will be highlighting, throughout this year, the crucial role played by farmers to conserve ecosystems.  IFAP will also be challenging national governments and the international community to put in place programs to help secure the planet’s biodiversity, while at the same time, ensuring that farmers have the necessary tools to increase food production by 70 percent by 2050 to feed a growing world population.

‘’The main issue for farmers is gaining recognition for the multiple roles that agriculture is expected to fulfil and identifying appropriate mechanisms in order to achieve them. We need to help and encourage farmers to improve their current practices, while ensuring they can sustain their families and remain competitive in the markets. These efforts all need be undertaken simultaneously, otherwise you will have food security problems or a compromised ecosystem,’’ said Ajay Vashee, IFAP President.

Farmers understand the need to protect and conserve biodiversity, and their role in doing so. At the same time, it is crucial that they maintain the economic viability of their agricultural activities. In 2010, IFAP will strive to find genuine and long-lasting approaches to better conserve and enhance biological diversity that can be implemented by farmers, and will advocate positive and constructive policy approaches to governments and the Convention on Biological Diversity. 

“Through such practices as land set asides for wildlife and native species, conservation farming, organic farming, reforestation practices, pastoralism, rotational grazing and rehabilitation of degraded lands, farmers are contributing to the conservation and protection of biodiversity. However, this is a shared responsibility with the rest of society. All stakeholders need to participate. If these efforts are to be expanded on a global scale to reduce biodiversity degradation, appropriate funding, positive incentives for farmers such as payment for ecosystem services, training and policy implementation will be needed to achieve results,’’ concluded Vashee.  

To move forward on conserving biodiversity, the world farmers’ organization advocates the following actions:

  • Government policies for secure land tenure systems and adequate infrastructure that allows farmers to invest in long-term farming strategies related to biodiversity enhancement.

  • Economic partnerships between developing and developed countries aimed at transferring and adapting stewardship programs, such as credit systems and extension services. 

  • Recognition of farmers’ indigenous knowledge of local resource management and conservation.

  • Increased funding for the scientific research that underpins the development and sound understanding of how agricultural management interacts with biodiversity. Scientific knowledge and findings should be disseminated, scaled-down and be specific to the dynamics of a particular region.

  • Strengthened farmers’ participation in the formulation and the implementation of research projects and rural development strategies to enhance biodiversity. 

  • Improved policy coordination and planning of environmental legislation affecting agricultural production. Often different government departments deal with these issues in isolation. There is also a need to increase capacity to enforce legislation in a coordinated way.

  • Mainstreaming of the Agricultural Biodiversity program of work of the CBD (UN Convention on Biodiversity) with the programs of work of the other Multilateral Environment Agreements, such as the UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change) and the UNCCD (United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification), as well as with food security and rural development programs.

IFAP will be placing biodiversity as a policy priority in 2010. “Sustainable solutions can be found and many are already available”, said the IFAP President, “but responsibility must be shared among all stakeholders”.

IFAP is the farmers' voice at the world level, representing 600 million family farmers grouped in 120 national organizations in 80 countries. It has been advocating farmers’ interests at the international level since 1946. IFAP’s mission is to develop farmers’ capacities to influence decisions that affect them at both the domestic and international levels. www.ifap.org

Source: www.ifap.org
 



2nd European Seminar on the European Learning Network on Functional AgroBiodiversity (ELN-FAB)

30 September - On 24 and 25 September 2009 the 2nd European Seminar on the European Learning Network on Functional AgroBiodiversity (ELN-FAB) was held in Frick, Switzerland. The seminar was co-organized by ECNC, and hosted by the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL).

Over the last decade, knowledge on how to preserve and use ecosystem services in agricultural practices has increased. Pilot projects have yielded their first results. But is this information available to the right people and stakeholder groups, also to enable multiplication of good examples? Are farmers aware of the most relevant policies, the outcomes of case studies, and the latest expertise and experiences, do policymakers know enough about the farmers’ world, how to reach them, and which priorities to set and best practices to support politically and/or financially? The aim of the second European Learning Network seminar was to address these questions and to learn from each other.

The 44 participants, from 14 European countries, represented the three main stakeholder groups of the Network: farmers, policymakers and scientists. The facilitated workshop focused on the theme ‘How can ELN-FAB contribute to increased attention to agrobiodiversity in the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy and other relevant European policies?’. The outcome of the productive workshop will provide input into a paper on policy connection of functional agrobiodiversity and will also provide guidance for concrete steps within ELN-FAB with regard to interaction with policy.

In addition, the project reached a new milestone during the seminar. The ELN-FAB website (www.eln-fab.eu) was launched, providing the main communication platform to the Network and also containing a European project database covering the subject of functional agrobiodiversity. The website is available in four languages (English, German, French and Spanish) and focuses on the stakeholder groups of the Network through targeted messages.

The project is funded by the Netherlands Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment (VROM) and will run until the end of 2009. The further support of funders is being sought in order to expand the Network in the long term.

Presentations from the 2nd ELN-FAB seminar

Participants list from the 2nd ELN-FAB seminar

 

                       


See more pictures from the 2nd ELN-FAB seminar here 

Presentations from the 1st ELN-FAB seminar
 

 

Registration deadline for ELN-FAB seminar extended

19 August - On 24-25 September 2009 the 2nd European seminar on the European Learning Network on Functional AgroBiodiversity (ELN-FAB) will be held in Frick, Switzerland.

The deadline for registering for this seminar has been extended to 11 September 2009.

You can find more information about the preliminary programme and the registration information (both seminar and hotel) by going to the page of the Calendar of events. Read more…
 

 
 

Announcement of 2nd European seminar on the European Learning Network on Functional AgroBiodiversity

29 June - On 24-25 September 2009 the 2nd European seminar on the European Learning Network on Functional AgroBiodiversity (ELN-FAB) will be held in Frick, Switzerland. The aim of the meeting is to bring together representatives of the various stakeholder groups from several countries to collect and exchange experience. The seminar will be hosted by the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL).

The realization that agriculture has to become more sustainable is incorporated in policy instruments from national to global level. Knowledge is being increasingly accumulated on how biodiversity can be mobilized to make agriculture sustainable. Throughout Europe, farmers, researchers, policymakers and other stakeholders are implementing various forms of agrobiodiversity. At present, this practical experience is extremely fragmented and barely accessible. The project 'European Learning Network on Functional Agrobiodiversity' (ELN-FAB) aims to change this.

The network is set to provide a platform and facility for exchange of knowledge and practical experiences with other EU Member States, across country and language borders, between farmers, policymakers, scientists, businesses and NGOs, to enable fast and effective implementation of best practices in order to help to optimize agrobiodiversity benefits and promote sustainable agriculture.

You can find more information about the preliminary programme and the registration information (both seminar and hotel) by going to the page of the Calendar of events. For your information, the preliminary programme will be revised further as other speakers confirm.

If you would like to take part in the seminar, please fill in the registration form and mail it to the organizers before 14 August. Please do not hesitate to contact Veronika Mikos by email at mikos@ecnc.org or phone +31 (0)13 5 944 944 if you require any further information.

Please forward this information to your colleagues or interested persons.

Note: The closing date for registrations has been extended to 11 September 2009.