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This research combines Strontium (87Sr/86Sr) and Oxygen (δ18O) isotope analysis to challenge the prevailing interpretation of patrilocal exogamic practices among eastern European Early Neolithic Linearbandkeramik (LBK) communities. Patrilocality has been considered the key factor influencing the mobility patterns of central Europe's first farmers (c. 5500–4900 cal. BC), especially in the south-eastern Moravian region (Czech Republic). Focusing our attention on both male and female tooth enamel samples from cemeteries, settlement graves and small clusters of graves, this paper reassesses the correlation between mobility, biological sex, and funerary practices. This task is accomplished by establishing a new isotopic footprint using new 87Sr/86Sr data, as well as significantly increasing the number of sampled individuals for 87Sr/86Sr and δ18O. The outcome of this research contributes to a better understanding of the mobility patterns among early farmers in central Europe, challenging existing theories and providing new insights into their social and cultural dynamics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Considering the relevance of the agricultural sectors for the European countries' development, but also the volatile features of agriculture, with unforeseen risks induced by climate, ensuring durable economic progress is foremost for the companies. This paper aims to assess the associations of the key parties in corporate governance (directors, managers, advisers, and shareholders), employees and the independence level with the main outcomes and capacity/size of the European companies operating in agriculture, fishing, and aquaculture activities. Using a newly compiled and complex dataset of 3 184 active companies from Europe, provided by the ORBIS database, advanced modelling approaches were employed, based on the robust regression (RREG) and Gaussian Graphical Model (GGM). The main findings emphasised that: directors, managers, and advisors had a strong positive influence on the firms' size, boosting their turnover, and the shareholders' funds; advisors induced positive connections with the companies' liquidity; the number of employees exerted positive impacts on the firms' size and outcomes of these companies; the independence level exerted a negative impact on the firms' size and outcomes. Finally, specific measures must be addressed to primarily reconsider the number of directors and managers and the shareholders' participation in the ownership of these companies due to their unfavourable exerted effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Europe, increasing the area of legume crops has been identified as a key measure to achieve the objectives set by the European Green Deal and transition toward more sustainable food systems. Although the role of grain legumes in climate change mitigation has been closely examined, little research has focused on how climate change will challenge the development of these crops. This article systematically reviews recent simulation studies to assess the impact of climate change on grain legume performances in Europe and the effect of adaptation strategies. Forty papers using process-based, ecological niche, or statistical models were selected to simulate the response of eight grain legume species to future climate (2020–2100) in Europe. The lack of data on adaptation strategies in Europe was compensated for by enlarging the study area to climatically similar regions. The review highlights a notable imbalance between research about soybean versus other grain legumes, with soybean representing approximately 80% of selected studies. Studies focused on soybean found good agreement, with yield or suitability gains found in northern Europe and a higher probability of yield losses in southern and south-eastern Europe. While a similar spatial pattern may be expected for other grain legumes, the scarcity of data makes this result more uncertain. The review also shows that several adaptation strategies have the potential to mitigate the negative impact of climate change on grain legume performances or enhance its positive impact. The most promising strategies tested include irrigation, change in sowing date, and cultivar choice. In addition, we identify several knowledge gaps that, if addressed, would support legume development in Europe. In particular, key species such as field pea, faba bean, lentil, and chickpea remain blind spots, despite their prominent role in European environmental, agricultural, and nutritional policies. Other knowledge gaps include a lack of accounting for crop response to elevated CO 2 , ozone, and future biotic pressure, and a limited range of adaptation strategies tested and indicators assessed. Implementing multi-criteria analyses that involve stakeholders would help identify relevant inputs and outputs for future simulations. • We review 40 papers assessing grain legume response to climate change in Europe. • Grain legumes other than soybean are blind spots despite their role in policies. • For soybean, yield gains are expected in the north and yield losses in the south. • Adaptation strategies can mitigate the impact of climate change on grain legumes. • We identify several knowledge gaps, including a lack of data on key legume species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Semi-natural habitat creation in Europe is a tool to address habitat loss, caused by agricultural landscape simplification. Research on habitats is mostly conservation-centered, while studies on their delivery of multiple agro-ecosystem services are limited. However, knowledge about these habitats' suitability for production could make them a practical biodiversity mainstreaming tool. This paper identifies potential dually-beneficial (db) habitats for use in cereals, oilseed rape, and sunflowers, the three major EU arable field crops. They are often grown in simplified landscapes, where the need for improved biodiversity connectivity at landscape level is high and their integration expected to be most effective. The paper provides a qualitative survey of the db-habitats effects on agro-ecosystem services and disservices while addressing trade-offs and synergies thereby using an ecology-focused agro-ecosystem services and disservices framework. Four differently suitable db-habitat groups were identified: 1. Uncropped fields/subfield areas, 2. Managed fields/subfield areas, 3. Managed flower areas and 4. Managed margins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agriculture is the one of the most important priorities and economic activities in developing countries. Climate change, which is already affecting the society at a global level, has an impact on the increase in magnitude and frequency of severe weather events. As such, both agriculture and industry are affected by climate change and their revenues decrease, thus affecting the entire economic cycle. The aim of this paper is to present theoretical considerations regarding climate change induced severe weather events and to highlight some practical techniques used in operational meteorology in order to improve the forecast of severe weather events. By analysing the morphology and dynamics of thunderstorms, by applying the correct parametrization in weather forecast models, nowcasting and by issuing on time weather alerts, financial losses may be limited. Throughout this paper, the parametrization of convective cells will be described, operational forecasting techniques will be presented and the application of ingredient-based forecasting methodology will be discussed. Severe weather associated hazards like hail, heavy rainfall, damaging winds and even frost will be analysed in order to establish a local climatology of these phenomena. With the aid of Weather Surveillance Doppler Radar (WSDR) and by associating some instability convection indices with synoptic charts, the agriculture-related severe weather events can be identified and their formation pattern can be established. Further on, by establishing an analysis methodology and by compelling all available data, weather-related hazard maps are to be compelled and are to be used by agrometeorology forecasters in order to seek viable solutions. The Western part of Romania is characterized as having a moderatecontinental climate, with hot influences from the Southern part of Europe and with humid advections from the South-Western part of Europe. In combination with cold advections from the Northern Europe, both summer as well as winter specific agriculture-related severe weather events are present [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In front of escalating resource limitations in agriculture, this study emphasizes the critical need for efficient crop cultivation. Focusing particularly on tomatoes, a staple in global diets, the research aims to sustenably enhance productivity. Recognizing productivity as a key economic indicator, the study highlights the pivotal role of energyefficient practices in addressing challenges posed by climate change and depleting natural resources. By optimizing energy use in agricultural processes, this research not only improves economic efficiency but also positions the sector for resilience and innovation in a resource-constrained environment. Through an in-depth analysis of data from Eurostat covering the 2014-2022 period, we trace the trends in greenhouse tomato cultivation across Europe, evaluating changes in cultivation areas and productivity. This research offers insights into how different European countries have adapted their agricultural practices in response to environmental and economic pressures and in the same time, it underscores the need for continued innovation and adaptation in agricultural practices to meet the demands of a growing global population under increasingly constrained environmental conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mycotoxin contamination in animal feed is a significant point of concern within the European food supply network. These toxic secondary metabolites produced by fungi have the potential to contaminate feed and pose a risk of making their way into the human diet via animal products like meat, milk, and eggs. The consequences of mycotoxin contamination extend beyond animal health, affecting economies and public health, presenting complex issues for agricultural producers, regulatory bodies, and consumers. Even with stringent controls and surveillance in place, mycotoxins remain a persistent issue. This study provides updated findings on the prevalence of mycotoxins globally and specifically in Europe, with a focus on analyzing the incidence of ochratoxin A both worldwide and within European contexts. The dispersion of mycotoxina within a given region can have considerable economic consequences for the trade of animal feed, directing stakeholders toward making informed decisions about the types of analyses in which they should allocate more resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In April 2023, the Taliban banned poppy cultivation and the trade of all narcotics. This caused a 95% reduction in opium production. Usually, that would be good news. But there is a substantial worry: synthetic opioids might fill the void left by heroin. This is concerning because these drugs have led to health emergencies in areas where they are prevalent. This paper highlights the limitations of the current drug surveillance system in Europe and proposes improvements. It argues that reliance on secondary data is insufficient. Instead, we need to interview a sentinel group of people who inject drugs and adjust city-level sentinel systems, such as wastewater analysis, to specifically track the spread of synthetic opioids. Without these proactive steps, we risk only noticing a transition from heroin to synthetic opioids after it has occurred, with its harmful impacts already in place. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is set to redefine how farming occurs. Throughout history examples of technological advances have shown that less labour has been required on a farm while at the same time increasing the output of food production. However, an interesting observation is that as technology has improved the farming process and replaced workers, it has opened a new avenue known as diversification. This paper focuses specifically on the impact that AI will have on the future of farming in the European sector. The literature brings to light common trends that technological innovations have always decreased the number of workers required in the farming process while at the same time maximising efficiency. AI will also follow the same trend, however, instead of eliminating workers in the farming process soon, the present observations show that farmers will still require workers to work alongside AI. The reason for increased investments in AI is due to research data showing a decline in population growth in Europe and the struggling profitability of farmers. Thereby analysts believe that a labour shortage will occur, and industries will struggle to fill those skills requirements. A qualitative summary was done on artificial intelligence technologies' development impact on the labour of the agricultural sector of Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agricultural intensification has played an important role in the decline of biodiversity in farmland ecosystems. Habitat degradation has resulted in reduced edge effects. This has led to species loss, soil degradation, deflation and drying of arable land. Much of Europe is farmland, which has a significant impact on the continent's climate. Although the previous conditions cannot be fully restored, beetle banks, grasslands and hedgerows can be well integrated into the agricultural policy of the European Union. How do linear habitats affect the microclimate, biosphere and crops? An endemic farmland bird, the grey partridge (Perdix perdix) is an indicator of healthy farmland ecosystems. Their population has declined drastically in recent decades across Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conflicts between agriculture and biodiversity conservation in Europe are increasing, due to multiple demands from agricultural ecosystems, including a growing need for high quality and good-value agricultural products, as well as the provision of biodiversity and ecosystem services. Currents trends such as globalization, European policies, and global change, such as climate change and nitrogen atmospheric deposition are potentially driving the emergence or evolution of biodiversity conflicts in Europe. These trends are interwoven with continuing debates around land-sparing and land-sharing, that often lead to conflicting perspectives and social dynamics that influence how local actors interact with each other over agriculture. Whilst some strategies have been put in place to address the potential competition between agriculture and biodiversity, such as reglementary and market-based mechanisms, and non-monetary voluntary approaches, these need to be reflected upon and improved for a future agriculture where the negative impacts of conflicts are minimized. This paper provides a comprehensive update on the current and future trends and evaluates current strategies, to highlight the importance of addressing conflict not only through technical fixes but by developing approaches that involve profound changes in agricultural systems and a shift in how people collaborate, perceive conflict and address it. We propose three emerging pathways--agroecology, a shift to partnerships, and conflict transformation--that would support a positive change for the future of biodiversity conflicts in agriculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: A common understanding of the term "vulnerable populations" in the European agricultural context is needed. Therefore, the purpose of this paper was to identify vulnerable populations working in European agriculture. Methods: Participatory dialogue with members of the Safety Culture and Risk Management in Agriculture (SACURIMA) network was used to identify and build consensus on the major vulnerable groups of people who work in European agriculture. Results: Five groups of vulnerable people were identified, which included: (1) foreign-born farmworkers (including both immigrants and refugees); (2) migrant and seasonal farmworkers; (3) beginning farmers (those with <5 years of experience); (4) farm families (including women, children, and older adults), and (5) farmers and farmworkers who have physical, mental health, or intellectual disabilities. Conclusion: By developing a consistent understanding of vulnerable populations working in European agriculture, we can promote consistency in health and safety messaging, measurement of health and safety constructs, and implementation and dissemination of health and safety programs and information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The pollen indicators of farming in Central European Plain c.a. 5050–4800 BCE excludes depopulation after the LBK collapse. • Rondels as the ceremonial centers played a leading role in building a new network social ties after the LBK collapse. • The pollen and radiocarbon data indicate that some rondelles had solid construction and could functioned nearly 300 years. Rondels are the oldest monumental ceremonial objects in Europe. They appeared some 200 years after the demise of the Linear Pottery culture (c. 4800 BCE). They have given a new shape to the resurgent 'Danubian Neolithic World'. However, despite intensive research, it is still unclear (1) how the transition process took place after the fall of the LBK; (2) how long rondels were function; and (3) under what circumstances they were abandoned. In this paper, we present a new approach to this problem based on an analysis of the biography of a single object based on the integration of archaeological and palaeoenvironmental data. We assume that the high-resolution pollen analysis of lake sediments provides critical data on the dynamics of population change (hiatuses, sharp declines and increases in population size) and how the environment is affected (felling of specific tree species, fires, cultivation of particular crops, grazing intensity). They provide a better understanding of the sequence of settlement and construction changes as well as alterations in material culture available in the archaeological record. The subject of the analysis is a site in the Lower Oder Valley (north-west Poland), at the furthest northern periphery of the 'Danubian World'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainability-Oriented Innovation (SOI) is recognized as a way to address agrifood system sustainability challenges. Because of its complexity, SOI requires inter-organizational collaboration between actors within and around value chains. Since farming practices account for a large part of the environmental impact of food products, farmer involvement in SOI processes is key. However, there is a lack of evidence on the degree of farmer engagement in inter-organizational collaboration, as well as the diversity of partners involved. Moreover, our understanding of the heterogeneity of collaboration in relation to the sustainability dimensions of the innovation SOI processes is limited. The objectives of our research are twofold. First, to propose a novel conceptualization of SOI, converging the sustainability specificities of the innovation process and the characteristics of the collaboration supporting the innovation process. Second, to unpack heterogeneous forms of collaboration in SOI with attention to farmer engagement in these forms. We developed the SOI framework and analyzed SOI processes in the fruit and vegetable sector across Europe. A multiple correspondence statistical analysis was carried out based on data from more than one hundred value chains that have implemented a SOI process. A hierarchical clustering analysis was performed to reveal patterns of collaboration in SOI. The results show different patterns of collaborative SOI in European fruit and vegetable chains. The SOI differ as regards to three specific dimensions: the diversity, the direction, and the distribution; and they rely on various collaboration forms. Seven clusters are analyzed and discussed, with specific attention to the farmer engagement in the collaboration forms. We differentiated between 1) Intermediary-led farm & food innovation with farmer collaboration; 2) Intermediary-led short food supply chain innovation with farmer collaboration; 3) Processor-led green food product innovation without farmer collaboration; 4) Farmer-led sustainable agricultural practices innovation with a collaborative network; 5) Farmer-led coupled innovation with downstream integration; 6) value chain actor-led coupled innovation with farmer collaboration; 7) Retailer-led distribution innovation without farmer collaboration. The relationship between diverse collaboration forms and SOI dimensions is discussed. Revealing the heterogeneity of collaboration forms in SOI processes is important for developing sound policies. Given the significant role of farmers in sustainable agrifood system transitions, this paper reveals various levels of farmer engagement in collaborative SOI processes in value chains. Results have implications for mission-oriented policies since they allow a more precise and targeted approach to agrifood chains within the broader agrifood system transformation. [Display omitted] • Sustainability-oriented innovation (SOI) has three dimensions: direction, diversity, and distribution • SOI requires collaboration among multiple actors within and around the value chain • SOI is characterised in 74 food value chains in Europe; seven clusters reveal the heterogeneity of collaboration • The relationship between heterogeneity of collaboration and SOI dimensions provides insights for targeted innovation policy [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) is a substantial part of the European subsidy policy. However, this policy could not prevent the increasing displacement of small and medium-sized agricultural enterprises so far. The agriculture of the USA has experienced a systemic decline in small and medium-sized enterprises for decades and already negative consequences can be observed from this development. In Europe, the same tendency can be seen. To find a solution for small and medium-size enterprises we present our research that compares the subsidy mechanisms of the EU with that of the USA.The scope of this paper includes the examination of the development of small and medium-sized companies within the conditions of the current CAP and which steps in the development have been taken in the US agriculture. In order to identify which threats exist for the European agriculture, the influence of subsidy payments on the agricultural development is examined and assessed. The analysis reveals that the US agriculture has been dominated by industrialized farms due to the concentration development so far. Small and medium-sized companies hardly play a role in this system, which is geared towards continuously increasing efficiency. Thereby, negative side effects on the environment, climate, fauna, animal welfare and health etc. are accepted. According to the previous concentration process in European agriculture one cannot exclude the possibility that a further development towards a US-like situation in agriculture can be prevented. The results of the comparison indicate the need for changes of the EU policy to avoid a US-like evolution of the European agriculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agriculture contributes to global warming mainly through the emission of methane and nitrous oxide. Nitrous oxide is particularly important, as it accounts for a significant share of total nitrogen emissions from arable land It is produced as a result of anaerobic microbiological changes of nitrogen introduced into the soil along with mineral fertilizers. Changes in weather patterns in response to climate change may significantly affect the efficiency of fertilizer nitrogen in agriculture, and, consequently, entail undesirable environmental effects. This issue is of particular importance in view of the dominant role that this fertilizer element plays in agriculture, and, on the other hand, due to the global environmental risk within the “nitrogen cycle”. The analysis, carried out in this paper indicates, that transformations of nitrogen compounds in the soil, caused predominantly by the climate condition, result in nitrogen release from the agricultural production area. The dispersion in the form of molecular nitrogen (N2) is mainly the result of denitrification processes. By this way over 50% of nitrogen lost from agriculture is dissipated from the agricultural land. From the agricultural point of view, denitrification is a process that limits the resources of available nitrogen, but from the environmental viewpoint, this process should be considered as a natural mechanism of environmental self-purification and water protection. Although it constitutes only about 25% of the total loss of this element the dilution of nitrogen from agricultural areas by leaching, is considered to be the most cumbersome for the water environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concept of resilience has recently been investigated from the perspective of several disciplines. This extensive research has produced many approaches to determine the key definitions, linked to both the notion of stability in dynamics (return to the previous equilibrium after a shock) and the idea of adaptivity (absorption of the shock leading to new equilibria). Among the various definitions and measurements which can be found in the literature, the Resilience Capacity Index (RCI) defines a kind of ‘potential resilience’, i.e. the potential ability of a region to recover, or bounce back in the presence of external shocks. However, the RCI should also be tested empirically versus other resilience/vulnerability indicators. Vulnerability denotes a different view on the state of the system in the presence of shocks, i.e. the degree to which a system is susceptible to harm. In the present paper, this concept will be adopted by analysing the dynamics of the unemployment growth rate, and then comparing it to the RCI. The country of interest in this paper is Slovakia. Slovakia is a small country in Central-Eastern Europe and can serve as a good example of an open and export-based economy, subjected to the global crisis. Thus, in the context of the 2007–2008 economic crisis, the RCI in the 79 Slovak districts is examined with respect to their vulnerability in the first period of rising unemployment (2008–2012), as well as in the second period following vulnerability to the economic shock (2012–2014). A clear West-East divide in the resilience capacity can be seen. The more urban and export-oriented districts with high RCI values are shown to be exposed to high vulnerability compared with the rural districts. On the other hand, the small, peripheral districts respond to a lesser extent, or with a delay, to the shock. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper is an attempt to address the advantages and risks connected with the wave of financial globalisation, with a focus on its impact on financial policy in European agriculture. The aim of the paper is to identify the basic conditions of the functioning and change of the financial system of agriculture under the conditions of the globalisation of financial markets. Financial globalisation, also referred to as financial integration or openness, is understood as an increase in global ties and interdependences caused by capital flows. Potentially, globalisation can bring a lot of benefits, which are manifested in an acceleration of economic growth and decreased fluctuation in consumption, which should further improve the level of overall prosperity. On the other hand, however, internationalisation of financial flows entails a range of threats, including the possibility of crisis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The primary objective of the paper is to assess the extent and exploitation of agricultural land in the CR and EU countries based on selected macro-socioeconomic indicators in order to determine the position of the CR and future desirable exploitation, protection and stabilisation of agricultural land in the CR. The following methods will be employed in order to meet the objective: (1) The Coefficient of Geographical Association (CGA) and my own modified coefficients of association reflecting the impact of exploitation of agricultural land on indicators of the country's economic level. (2) Comparison (shrinkage of agricultural land, workforce in agriculture and market price of agricultural land in selected countries). (3) The Coefficient of Ecological Stability to assess the extent of stable and unstable areas in EU-27 countries. The following data are used for calculations: Eurostat (2009, 2015), World Bank and FAOSTAT (1993-2014). The extent of agricultural land in the CR (2014/1993) has been decreasing more slowly than in the detailed comparison countries (5 countries with the lowest CGA). The price of the agricultural land (2014) is lower than in France, Germany and Poland; nevertheless, the actual price rates are not as contrasting against these countries if purchase parity is considered. The Coefficient of Ecological Stability ranks the Czech Republic in the second half of the list of EU-27 countries (22nd place). While the ecological stability of land has decreased slightly in Germany and France (2009-2015), an improvement has occurred in the CR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many countries have some kind of energy-system transformation either planned or ongoing for various reasons, such as to curb carbon emissions or to compensate for the phasing out of nuclear energy. One important component of these transformations is the overall reduction in energy demand. It is generally acknowledged that the domestic sector represents a large share of total energy consumption in many countries. Increased energy efficiency is one factor that reduces energy demand, but behavioral approaches (known as “sufficiency”) and their respective interventions also play important roles. In this paper, we address citizens’ heterogeneity regarding both their current behaviors and their willingness to realize their sufficiency potentials—that is, to reduce their energy consumption through behavioral change. We collaborated with three Swiss cities for this study. A survey conducted in the three cities yielded thematic sets of energy-consumption behavior that various groups of participants rated differently. Using this data, we identified four groups of participants with different patterns of both current behaviors and sufficiency potentials. The paper discusses intervention types and addresses citizens’ heterogeneity and behaviors from a city-based perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Fishing is probably one of the oldest economic activities in the history of humankind. Lakes, rivers and streams in Europe are important elements in the European landscape with a rich diversity of fish and other aquatic organisms. Artisanal fisheries have therefore been of great importance for the provision of food, but also animal feed, medicine, fertilizer and other needs. These fishermen had a deep knowledge about the waterscape and its biota. However, ethnoichthyology remains a small topic within contemporary ethnobiology in Europe. Our focus lies within northern Europe in the late medieval to modern period, but encompasses the wider area with some reference to earlier periods where informative. Method: We have reviewed a large amount of literature mainly on the relationship between man and fish in freshwaters from late medieval times (defined here as the fifteenth century) until the early twenty-first century. The main focus is on freshwater (including anadromous and catadromous) fish in northern Europe, the main area of study for both authors, though examples have been included from elsewhere to indicate the widespread importance of these fisheries. The review includes studies from various fields such as archaeology, ethnography, fish biology, geography, linguistics and osteology to map what has been studied of interest in ethnoichthyology. These data have been analysed and critically reviewed. Results: There are archaeozoological studies, studies of specialised fishers as well as artisanal fishing among the peasantry, research of folk taxonomies, fishing methods (including the use of poison) and gear, which are all of great interest for ethnoichthyology. There is also research on traditional preserving methods for fish as food and for other purposes. Of interest is the keeping of fish in wells, ponds and aquaria. However, there is still room for more research within many domains of ethnoichthyology. Conclusion: Humans have always utilized fish and other aquatic resources. Nonetheless, few ethnobiologists working within Europe are so far researching human-fish relationships. This paper demonstrates the range of research available, but also points to future studies. It is important to widen ethnobiological research in Europe to include fish. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current paper envisages to present a section of the European funds in agriculture dedicated to Romania after 2007 (the EU accession) and its formal integration into the CAP system - with a particular accent on the Measure 121 and its impact at the end of 2014. Based upon raw data provided following an official request, it shows the main indicators of the system. It is also an analysis of the efficiency of EU funds utilization in the system. The paper focuses on the result received from the authorities with responsibilities in the area, thus bringing into the academic debate the first comprehensive data set for the time being that have become available to researcher. Following the analysis done we realise that Measure 121 had a major interest on behalf of the potential beneficiaries, as proven by the value of financing requests submitted in the analysed period that have surpassed 330% of the total allocated value. Another conclusion that surges is the great number of cancelled contracts in the last six months of the analysed period which represent 29,82% of the total of cancelled projects, a high percentage if we take into consideration that we are at the end of the implementation period of financed investments. Basing on this analyze, our study tries to draw some useful conclusion for the next financing period . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Droughts and floods are increasing worldwide. • Changes in soil moisture affect the soil microbiome. • Climate change affects the soil environment. • Changes in the soil environment affect crop production. • Drought and floods have a negative impact on agriculture. Climate change is progressing and is already visible to the naked eye around the world. Hydrological events associated with climate change, i.e. floods and droughts, have reached extreme levels in recent years. Researchers warn that these phenomena will continue to intensify. According to recent reports, the number of extreme weather events, including hydrological phenomena, has increased by 60% in Europe over the last three decades. Both water shortages and water surpluses affect the soil environment and its functions. This in turn has a direct impact on crops and agriculture. For example, in the US alone, droughts and floods were responsible for more than 70% of the decline in cereal yields in 2011 alone. However, the soil environment is a complex ecosystem that is not yet fully understood, making it difficult to predict the impact of climate change on its quality and functioning. In this paper, we discuss the effects of floods and droughts on the soil microbiome and the implications of these changes for agriculture. We suggest that changes in soil moisture are an important factor affecting crop growth and yield, which is of great importance for global food security. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper is focused on the value of the European mountain landscape/ecosystem and evaluates the impact of agriculture and agricultural policy on the value of this public good. Based on the meta-analysis of 22 landscape/ecosystem valuation studies, it was found that the average value of the European mountain landscape/ecosystem is 3,068 EUR per hectare per year, and 3.91 EUR per person per day. However, there are regions with a significantly higher value - Tatra in Poland and Alpujarran in Spain. The value is influenced by the position of agriculture in the national economy. Higher values of the mountain landscape/ ecosystem were achieved in countries where the contribution of agriculture to the gross value added is above average. On the other hand, there is no significant relationship between the proportion of farming in the LFA and the value of the mountain landscape/ecosystem. Public support was found to be insufficient to cover the cost of landscape services performed by farmers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of crops that by harvest have accumulated higher amounts of a particular micronutrient than standard crops is known as biofortification. Biofortified staple crops such as provitamin A‐biofortified sweet potato ('orange sweet potato'), zinc‐biofortified rice ('zinc rice') and iron‐biofortified beans ('iron beans'), developed by selective breeding, have been introduced into developing countries with the goal of reducing micronutrient deficiencies. In these settings, micronutrient deficiencies caused by low dietary intakes and exacerbated by inflammation and infection result in considerable morbidity and mortality worldwide. The aim of this review is twofold: (1) to describe the impact of biofortified crops on micronutrient intake, nutritional status and other biological endpoints in developing countries and (2) to consider the relevance of these nutritional effects in other parts of the world such as Europe. Regular consumption of biofortified crops in developing countries where micronutrient deficiency is common has been shown to increase micronutrient intakes and thus help meet the World Health Organization's dietary recommendations. In terms of micronutrient status, most research has been conducted using provitamin A‐biofortified crops (particularly orange sweet potato), with large 2‐ to 3‐year studies indicating increases in plasma retinol, though additional studies measuring change in body stores would provide more definitive evidence. There is some evidence to suggest that iron‐biofortified crops can increase iron status (measured by serum ferritin and total body iron), but further studies are required to demonstrate the efficacy of zinc‐biofortified foods. Intakes of some micronutrients are low in some UK population subgroups (in particular adolescents and young adult women), with sizeable proportions having intakes below the lower reference nutrient intake. There is also evidence of low status for some nutrients (e.g. iron and in particular vitamin D), although the prevalence of iron deficiency is much less, and therefore the consequences less severe, than seen in the developing world. The final part of the paper describes strategies used to improve micronutrient intake in Europe, such as fortification of bread flour post‐harvest and supplementation with vitamin D and folic acid, and discusses whether there is a role for biofortified crops in the UK. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Low-intensity farmland contributes to Urban Green Infrastructure in regard to connectivity.. • This study suggests an evidence-based planning approach to identify the potential spatial distribution of low-intensity farmland. • This paper presents an analytical methodology that is transparent, repeatable, and transferable to other European urban areas. Abstract In recent years, Urban Green Infrastructure (UGI) has gained broad political support and has evolved to become a new research topic in the area of sustainable urban development. The focus has been largely on green urban structures, such as parks and urban forest. The role and contribution of farmland has often been neglected. This work wants to scrutinise the potential of farmland’s contribution to the basic conception of UGI, in particular, with regard to connectivity. It reports on three case studies from Southern Germany, in the peri-urban regions of the three largest and expanding cities of Bavaria: Munich, Nuremberg and Augsburg. The spatial analysis we used is transparent, simple and repeatable. It is transferable to any European urban area. We use habitat suitability modelling to map the potential spatial distribution of low-intensity farmland, with emphasis on grassland systems. Based on these potential distributions, landscape indicators are used to analyse structural connectivity. Structural connectivity is used as a surrogate for functional connectivity, which supports ecological and abiotic processes and functions, but on the other hand characterises functional social connectivity, with respect to the accessibility of recreation. The results of this study suggest that farmland bears a great potential to contribute to UGI. The immediate surroundings of the cities do not just offer spatial potential but can enhance connectivity significantly. Based on these results some recommendations have been formulated to enable a better appreciation of farmland and farmers as partners for effectively developing strategies for UGI planning and sustainable urban development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

European agriculture is a large importer of nutrients in the form of chemical fertilizers. Additionally, countries with livestock-intensive farming face problems with disposal of nutrients in animal manure. The availability of chemical fertilizers has changed farmers' past dependence on manure. Nowadays, despite its nutrient content, manure is sometimes considered as a waste product. However, if the characteristics of manure and other waste streams could be enhanced through processing, it could be transformed into an alternative bio-based fertilizer recycling the nutrients within the farming sector. This would also create opportunities for nutrient exchange between different European regions. However, a key question is what is needed for farmers to accept these products as replacements for their current chemical fertilizer use? In this paper, key attributes determining the acceptance of alternative bio-based fertilizer products are identified. Based on the identified attributes, a discrete choice experiment was designed to reveal farmers' preferences and Willingness-To-Pay for these attributes. Identical experiments were conducted in seven different European countries. The results indicate that farmers from the different countries have common preferences for concentrated products that have certainty in the nitrogen content and at a lower price than chemical fertilizer. Other attributes such as the presence of organic carbon, hygienization of the product and fast release of nutrients were only statistically significant in some countries. The results imply that a bio-based fertilizer similar to chemical fertilizers could be sold at around 65% of the price of mineral fertilizer. Additionally, we show which attributes industry should take into consideration when estimating the demand for new bio-based fertilizer products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban agriculture has become a common form of urban land use in European cities linked to multiple environmental, social and economic benefits, as well as to diversified forms (from self-production allotments to high-tech companies). Social acceptance will determine the development of urban agriculture and specific knowledge on citizens’ perception is required in order to set the basis for policy-making and planning. The ecosystem services provided by urban agriculture can be determinant in this process. The goal of this paper is to evaluate the social acceptance and the perceived ecosystem services of urban agriculture in the city of Bologna (Italy), as an example of a Southern European city. In particular, we evaluated the preferences for urban land uses, for different typologies of urban agriculture and for the resulting products, the perceived provision of ecosystem services and the willingness to engage in new initiatives. A survey that investigated these topics (including open questions, closed questions and Likert-scale evaluation) was performed on the citizens of Bologna (n = 380) between October and November 2016. Results showed that urban agriculture is widely accepted by the inhabitants of Bologna, particularly regarding vegetable production. Although intensive farming systems were the least preferred forms to be implemented in Bologna, citizens highly accepted a large variety of urban agriculture goods, with preference for those obtained from plants as compared to animal products. The willingness-to-pay for urban food products was mostly the same as for conventional ones, although the participants recognised the social values, proximity and quality of the former. Socio-cultural ecosystem services were perceived as more valuable than environmental ones. Policy-making recommendations can be extracted from the results to facilitate the development of urban agriculture plans and policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Neolithic transition began the spread of early agriculture throughout Europe through interactions between farmers and hunter-gatherers about 10,000 years ago. Archeological evidence produced by radiocarbon dating indicates that the expanding velocity of farming is roughly constant all over Europe. Theoretical understanding of such evidence has been performed from mathematical modeling viewpoint. However, the expanding velocity determined by existing modeling approaches is faster than the observed velocity. For understanding this difference, we propose a three-component reaction-diffusion system which consists of two different types of farmers (sedentary and migratory) and hunter-gatherers from the viewpoint of the influence of farming technology. Our purpose is to study the relation between the expanding velocity of farmers and the farming technology parameter (say, γ). In this paper, we mainly focus on the one-dimensional traveling wave solution with minimal velocity and show that the minimal velocity decreases, as γ increases. This can be compatible with the observed velocity when farming technology is developed. Our results suggest that the reason for the slowdown of the Neolithic transition might be related to the increase in the development of farming technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate-smart agriculture (CSA) is one response to the challenges faced by agriculture due to climate change. As with other sustainability transitions, technological innovation is highlighted as playing a critical role, however, the adoption and diffusion of technological innovations in OECD countries is slow. The aim of this paper is to identify key socio-economic barriers, in terms of supply and demand, that inhibit the adoption and diffusion of CSA technological innovations in Europe. To achieve this aim, a theoretical framework is constructed based on a literature review of socio-economic barriers effecting adoption and diffusion. This framework is explored with data from semi-structured interviews with CSA technology providers and members of agricultural supply chains, such as farmers associations and consumer goods producers (the end-users of the technology). Data was collected on the barriers they experienced, with interviews conducted in the Netherlands, France, Switzerland and Italy. This data was thematically coded and categorised to identify key barrier typologies. The results demonstrate that barriers exist on both the demand (user) and supply (technology provider) sides. The paper provides recommendations for increasing the adoption and diffusion of CSA technological innovations, as well as implications for the CSA and innovation literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Palynology is the leading method when testing human footprints in ancient landscapes. • Linear Band Pottery culture (LBK) is the oldest farming culture in central Europe. • The discovery of cereals 300 years older than the model of Neolithisation predicted. • The results postulate to reject demographic pressure as a main factor of Neolithisation. A precisely dated, high-resolution palynological profile shows that around 5680 BCE a community that grew crops and raised livestock settled on the northern periphery of the area later covered by the LBK colonisations. This indicates that pioneer farmers reached this region around 300 years earlier than estimated by recognised models of the Neolithisation process. These findings point to the need for a revision of the Neolithisation model, not only regarding dating but also in terms of reassessing the role played by demographic pressure. The authors believe that the impact of the latter is widely overestimated, because the migration could also be caused by conflicts resulting from ethnic diversity and competition for prestige and access to the most valuable lands. Cooperation with hunter-gatherer communities could have been an additional factor that may have been particularly significant during the period of pioneering colonisation. The paper discusses the role of palynology in contemporary research on Neolithisation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While non-operating agricultural and absentee forest landowners across the U.S. and Europe are an important group of landowners, our understanding of them remains relatively limited. In this paper, we conduct a systematic literature review on these landowners to encapsulate a current lay of the land in terms of what we know about these landowners and move the dialogue on this topic forward. Eighty-one articles are identified in our search of empirical literature. For each of the landowner types, we discuss their demographics and the three primary themes that emerged related to land management: participation in land management decisions, attitudes regarding land use and ownership, and resource needs in working with these landowners. For agricultural non-operating landowners, we find limited participation in land management decisions, particularly among women, a variety of individual and social factors play a role in involvement, and while they have pro-conservation attitudes, implementation of conservation practices is more limited. Absentee forest landowners we find are more willing to use management plans, yet less willing to engage in active management and risk reduction. These landowners have a range of attitudes regarding land use, with studies highlighting recreation, conservation, and profit motivations. Our review concludes with identifying specific needs for more research and outreach on these landowners. • Systematic review of 81 papers on non-operating agricultural and absentee forest landowners. • Agricultural landowners have limited participation in land management decisions. • Forest landowners use management plans more than active management practices. • More information and outreach, for women landowners in particular, is needed. • We need additional research (especially qualitative) focused on these two groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The post-communist countries of Central-Eastern Europe (CEE) when implementing agricultural and conservation policies, face other challenges than Western European countries: (1) specific institutional design for each, developed on the remnants of totalitarian system causing difficulties for transposing directives; (2) different integration of Natura 2000 network into national protected area governance resulting in slow elaboration of the management plans; (3) farming landscapes were better preserved than in Western Europe, but lacking the continuity of extensive farming so large areas of conservation and (4) formal protection of sites, lacking in many cases financial support. This paper summarizes: the historical background of the last century that changed the farming landscapes of the CEE countries and the challenges in the management of protected areas in an unsteady socio-economic and political context. The results are focusing on the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary and Romania. Two main conclusions are proposed. First, socialism and capitalism slowly abolished family farming, causing people to become disconnected from the landscape - a key element in conservation oriented grassland management. Second, the gaps of knowledge on different aspects of policy implementation sabotage the results of conservation initiatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article argues that we know little about how small farmers in post-communist Europe survive and even grow while having little access to credit markets. In approaching small farmers, this paper builds on ideas of self-provisioning, contending that the tendency among small farmers is not one of growth towards and through economies of scale, but one of internalising and de-monetising costs, by growing in order to control upstream and downstream links in the value chain. It asks what is it that makes self-provisioning possible in two post-communist regions (located in Romania and Ukraine) and identifies various assets in the smallholders' environments, such as most importantly a diverse scene of intermediaries supplying smallholders with cash incomes. The implication of the research is that the existence of these assets is crucial for the smallholders' survival and growth, and these assets should be valued accordingly rather than dismissed in favour of integrating smallholders into modern, retailer-dominated, value chains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agriculture is widespread across the EU and has caused considerable impacts on freshwater ecosystems. To revert the degradation caused to streams and rivers, research and restoration efforts have been developed to recover ecosystem functions and services, with the European Water Framework Directive (WFD) playing a significant role in strengthening the progress. Analysing recent peer-reviewed European literature (2009–2016), this review explores 1) the conflicts and difficulties faced when restoring agriculturally impacted streams, 2) the aspects relevant to effectively reconcile agricultural land uses and healthy riverine ecosystems and 3) the effects and potential shortcomings of the first WFD management cycle. Our analysis reveals significant progress in restoration efforts, but it also demonstrates an urgent need for a higher number and detail of restoration projects reported in the peer-reviewed literature. The first WFD cycle ended in 2015 without reaching the goal of good ecological status in many European water-bodies. Addressing limitations reported in recent papers, including difficulties in stakeholder integration and importance of small headwater streams, is crucial. Analysing recent developments on stakeholder engagement through structured participatory processes will likely reduce perception discrepancies and increase stakeholder interest during the next WFD planning cycle. Despite an overall dominance of nutrient-related research, studies are spreading across many important topics (e.g. stakeholder management, land use conflicts, climate change effects), which may play an important role in guiding future policy. Our recommendations are important for the second WFD cycle because they 1) help secure the development and dissemination of science-based restoration strategies and 2) provide guidance for future research needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Frequently acknowledged as coming forward to environmental issues by reducing external input use, low input (LI) dairy farming is gaining attention. The absence of a clearly delineated description of LI dairying, however, hampers identification and analysis of these farming systems. This paper aims at empirically examining, EU wide, the farm structure, production intensity and productivity of LI with respect to their high input (HI) conventional counterpart and to organic dairying (ORG). A pragmatic quartiles-based categorization of farms from the Farm Accountancy Data Network of 20 important EU dairy countries, with the value of external input costs per grazing livestock unit (GLU) is used as prior discriminating indicator between LI and HI. LI dairy farms are smaller than HI dairy farms, in particular when farm size is expressed as total farm capital. Other variables that differentiate between LI and HI in most countries are number of dairy cows per GLU and area of forage and grassland on total agricultural area. Partial productivities in HI farms exceed those in LI farms, most apparent is milk production per cow. Differentiation of forage production between LI and HI is less uniform throughout Europe. A pairwise matching of differentiation profiles between countries indicates that differentiation between LI and HI is country specific. A similar diversity in country-specific differentiation between ORG and LI farming is found. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the 1980s a part of social researches has focused on structural transformations and social and subjective conditions of immigrant workers in Southern Europe agriculture (Portugal, Spain, Italy and Greece). This paper is the result of a comparative analysis of these researches and it highlights the common aspects in the different territorial contexts, showing the main features of the labor and social condition of migrant workers. In conclusion, the paper recognizes that migrant labor has become the central element in the local agriculture, but this emergence has not been followed by a political and societal recognition and, so, migrant workers have remained at the margins of local policies and societies, constituting a new international proletariat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In north western Europe, agricultural systems are generally managed to maximize the potential delivery of provisioning ecosystem services. This has often been at the expense of other ecosystem services. Because the current supply of most ecosystem services is insufficient to meet the increasing demand, particular attention to ecosystem service delivery and hence multifunctionality in agriculture is vital. In this paper, we quantitatively assessed the impact of hedgerows and grass strips bordering parcels with annual arable crops on the simultaneous delivery of a set of ecosystem services and from there we identified synergies and trade-offs on virtual parcels. After a systematic literature search, mixed models were applied on observations from 60 studies and quantitative effect relationships between ecosystem service delivery and hedgerow and grass strip characteristics were developed. Next to the hedgerow, until a distance of twice the hedgerow height, arable crop yield was reduced by 29%. Beyond this distance, until 20 times the hedgerow height, crop yield was increased by 6%. Compared to a similar arable parcel without hedgerow or grass strip, soil carbon stock was 22% higher in the hedgerow, on average 6% higher in the adjacent parcel next to the hedgerow and 37% higher in the upper 30 cm soil layer in the grass strip. Both hedgerows and grass strips intercepted nitrogen from the surface (69% and 67%, respectively) and subsurface (34% and 32%, respectively) flow and phosphorus (67% and 73%, respectively) and soil sediment (91% and 90%, respectively) from the surface flow. More natural predator species were found on parcels with hedgerows, but the number of predators was unaffected. On parcels with grass strips, both predator density and diversity was higher and aphid density was reduced. Our calculations on parcel level indicate that the trade-off between arable crop yield and regulating ecosystem services depends on hedgerow width and height and parcel dimensions. A similar trade-off is found on parcels with grass strips, but increasing grass strip width results in a proportionally higher delivery of regulating ecosystem services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The agricultural sector je characterized by the fact that there is a high level of risk. It was always this case, but in the last years, there is a tendency of the increasing of the risk. The ability of early detection and effective management of the risks is an integral part of the strategic management of every agricultural organization. The paper presents the procedure and outcomes of the questionnaire survey aimed at the occurrence of the risk factors and approaches to the risk management in the enterprises of the primary agricultural production in Slovakia. The survey is focused on the individual character of the risk. The results of the survey point out the fact, that Slovakian farmers perceive the price risk, production or income risk as the most important risk factors, and the diversification as a most important strategy of the risk management. The most significant positive correlations were found between the land size and the perception of the price risk importance, between the number of years in office and the perception of the price risk importance. Concerning the production or income risk, the significant positive correlation was found in the legal form of business. As the most important, there was evaluated the risk perceived by the self-employed farmers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coupled atmosphere-ocean general circulation models (GCMs) simulate different realizations of possible future climates at global scale under contrasting scenarios of land-use and greenhouse gas emissions. Such data require several additional processing steps before it can be used to drive impact models. Spatial downscaling, typically by regional climate models (RCM), and bias-correction are two such steps that have already been addressed for Europe. Yet, the errors in resulting daily meteorological variables may be too large for specific model applications. Crop simulation models are particularly sensitive to these inconsistencies and thus require further processing of GCM-RCM outputs. Moreover, crop models are often run in a stochastic manner by using various plausible weather time series (often generated using stochastic weather generators) to represent climate time scale for a period of interest (e.g. 2000 ± 15 years), while GCM simulations typically provide a single time series for a given emission scenario. To inform agricultural policy-making, data on near- and medium-term decadal time scale is mostly requested, e.g. 2020 or 2030. Taking a sample of multiple years from these unique time series to represent time horizons in the near future is particularly problematic because selecting overlapping years may lead to spurious trends, creating artefacts in the results of the impact model simulations. This paper presents a database of consolidated and coherent future daily weather data for Europe that addresses these problems. Input data consist of daily temperature and precipitation from three dynamically downscaled and bias-corrected regional climate simulations of the IPCC A1B emission scenario created within the ENSEMBLES project. Solar radiation is estimated from temperature based on an auto-calibration procedure. Wind speed and relative air humidity are collected from historical series. From these variables, reference evapotranspiration and vapour pressure deficit are estimated ensuring consistency within daily records. The weather generator ClimGen is then used to create 30 synthetic years of all variables to characterize the time horizons of 2000, 2020 and 2030, which can readily be used for crop modelling studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper introduces a nonparametric measure of coordination productivity growth where the subprocesses are explicitly modelled in the production technology. The coordination productivity indicator is decomposed into a coordination technical inefficiency change component and a coordination technical change component. This decomposition allows assessment of reallocation impacts on the different sources of productivity growth. The empirical application focuses on a large panel of English and Welsh farms over the period 2007-2013. The results show that coordination inefficiency significantly increases with the proportion of resources allocated to livestock production in economic and statistical terms. Coordination inefficient farms should generally allocate more land to crop production. Depending on the region, the average coordination productivity growth ranges from −9.7% to 15.9% per year. It is driven by coordination technical change rather than coordination inefficiency change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Information on accidents in facilities for processing and storage of selected agricultural products are contained in the work. • A unique accident database was created containing 195 items. • The causes, consequences and possible measures are researched and discussed in the work. • The information contained in the work can be used to increase the level of safety in the agricultural sector. Process safety in the storage and processing of agricultural products is an important aspect related not only to reducing the risk of damage to the human health or property, but is also strategical to national food safety. A special emphasis must therefore be placed on risk assessment of the operation of these facilities. One of the cornerstones of the risk assessment process is the use of knowledge of past accidents. As the agricultural industry is rather marginal in the field of safety engineering compared to other sectors of the economy, available publications dealing with this topic are rather an exception. The aim of this paper is to conduct research on the available information on accidents that have occurred in agricultural processing and storage facilities in the past. The purpose is to provide professionals and operators with a comprehensive source of information useful for activities related to the prevention of these accidents. The output of the work is then a previously unrealised representative database of systematically sorted information on accidents that have occurred in the process of treatment or storage of agricultural products. This information was subsequently analysed and evaluated. The created database consists of 195 records of accidents that occurred between 1989 and 2018. To create a unique representative database, mainly publicly available databases of industrial accidents or professional publications were used. The author's database contains information on accident locations, accident causes and accident prevention measures. A total of 21 persons died and 32 persons were injured during the accidents. The analysis shows that fires are the most frequent manifestation of accidents (86%) and accidents in material handling facilities are the most frequent (33%). According to the information available in the database, organisational factors were identified as the most frequent causative factors of accidents (47%). For a better understanding of the accident process, a description of selected accident scenarios was also provided in the work. A linear model was used for this purpose. Due to the strategic importance of the evaluated facilities for processing and storage of agricultural products, efforts are made to prevent accidents from recurring or to reduce their impact on the surrounding area. Therefore, an integral part of the work is the description of possible measures against the recurrence of similar accidents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article features new European food and feed publications. New publications presented include "Economic Liberalization and Agricultural Policies in the Context of Planning," by Ray Prabuddha and Chowdhury Sarthak in September 2015 issue of "Economic Affairs," and "Some Considerations on the World Agri-Food Trade and the Position of the EU-28," by Agatha Popescu in Volume 15 Issue 4 of Scientific Papers Series "Management, Economic Engineering in Agriculture and Rural Development."

The Structural and Cohesion Funds, as well as the European Agricultural Guarantee Fund and the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (forming the Common Agricultural Policy), constitute the main part of the total EU spending, aimed at helping the poorer regions of Europe and reducing the sometimes huge differences between European countries or regions in terms of income, wealth and opportunities. Although all the European Union's member countries benefit from these funds in accordance with an allocation algorithm, they have not worked with the same efficiency, leaving a part of Europe less wealthy and underdeveloped than others. The present paper will try to examine the role of these funds for the agricultural growth in different countries of EU, with a special emphasis on Romania. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forty percent of the EU land area is currently considered to be agriculturally managed (utilised agricultural area - UAA - Eurostat Agricultural Census 2010), and attention to the environmental performance of farming practices is growing. To determine the performance of agricultural practices, farm-scale monitoring programmes are required but their implementation is hampered by a number of difficulties such as the identification of broadly applicable indicators appropriate for different biogeographic locations, and the evaluation of the effectiveness and costs of different monitoring approaches. In this paper, we focus on the costs of farm-scale biodiversity monitoring, presenting results from a Europe-wide cost data collection in the EU FP7 BioBio Project. Firstly, we present an analytical assessment of resources consumed by the research units and a cost estimation for the measurement of six biodiversity-related parameters: farm habitats, vegetation, wild bees and bumblebees, spiders, earthworms and farm management. Thereafter, we estimate a standardised cost for an ordinary measurement of the six parameters at farm-scale. In doing so, we highlight the cost differences between three strategies involving different potential actors (professional agencies, farmers, volunteers). This analysis demonstrates that producing reliable data on monitoring costs requires a large sample pool of farms and farm types, as was the case in the BioBio project. The cost standardisation allowed us to estimate a cost for biodiversity monitoring ranging between €2700 and €8200 per farm, depending on the chosen strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The analysis and support structure of the beekeeping sector in the European Union countries was analyzed. The level of support for this sector of agriculture in the years to come increased and in the years 2017-2019 is 72 million EUR per year. The amount of support beekeeping depends mainly on the number of hives. The average value of support for bee colony in most countries ranges from 4.35 to 4.63 EUR per year. The amount of support expressed as the equivalent of beekeeping honey indicating little relevance of this action, since the value of the support is equal to the EU average of 0.65 kg multiflorous honey, that varies from 0.3 to 1.33 kg. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Direct payments to European farmers through the common agricultural policy are extremely important to them. The CAP has undergone countless changes over time and has been modified in the circumstances. Lately, the focus has been mainly on decoupled support, to the detriment of coupled support and rumours across the European Union as to whether it would be the last time they would assist by direct payments to farmers, fueling farmers' anxiety in especially those from countries have recently joined the European Union. Financing the agricultural sector is a necessity and a future, as the reduction of the CAP budget after 2020 is not a viable solution in this respect, which will lead to a decline in all aspects of the sector. The statistical processing of data provided by the European Commission demonstrates, among other things, the defamation of the most recent countries that have joined the European Union, such as Bulgaria or Romania, but especially Croatia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agricultural land abandonment is an increasing problem in Europe. The Comunitat Valenciana Region (Spain) is one of the most important citrus producers in Europe suffering this problem. This region characterizes by small sized citrus plots and high spatial fragmentation which makes necessary to use Very High-Resolution images to detect abandoned plots. In this paper spectral and Gray Level Co-Occurrence Matrix (GLCM)-based textural information derived from the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) are used to map abandoned citrus plots in Oliva municipality (eastern Spain). The proposed methodology is based on three general steps: (a) extraction of spectral and textural features from the image, (b) pixel-based classification of the image using the Random Forest algorithm, and (c) assignment of a single value per plot by majority voting. The best results were obtained when extracting the texture features with a 9 × 9 window size and the Random Forest model showed convergence around 100 decision trees. Cross-validation of the model showed an overall accuracy of the pixel-based classification of 87% and an overall accuracy of the plot-based classification of 95%. All the variables used are statistically significant for the classification, however the most important were contrast, dissimilarity, NIR band (720 nm), and blue band (620 nm). According to our results, 31% of the plots classified as citrus in Oliva by current methodology are abandoned. This is very important to avoid overestimating crop yield calculations by public administrations. The model was applied successfully outside the main study area (Oliva municipality); with a slightly lower accuracy (92%). This research provides a new approach to map small agricultural plots, especially to detect land abandonment in woody evergreen crops that have been little studied until now. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Land change process type had a significant impact on interpretation consistency. • The number of available images had no significant effect. • Absence of change of non-agricultural land was most consistently interpreted. • Land abandonment, reforestation and agricultural expansion were least consistent. Large-scale land change maps are essential to support policies addressing land transformations. Calibration and validation of large-scale land change maps require reference data that are commonly acquired by visual interpretation of remotely sensed images. However, visual interpretation itself is prone to error. Little is known about factors influencing the quality and consistency of changes detected by visual interpretation. This paper reports on an experiment assessing the effect of the number of very high resolution images and land change process types on the consistency of visual interpretations. The experiment involved 48 sites scattered over Europe for which 18 individuals interpreted very high resolution images, which were provided via Google Earth. Land change process type was found to have a significant impact on the consistency of visual interpretations, while the marginal effect of the number of images was not significant. Absence of change on non-agricultural land was interpreted with high consistency. On the contrary, agricultural land abandonment and reforestation were the least consistent in their interpretation. We conclude that for increased efficiency, resources allocated to acquire reference data by visual interpretation should be adjusted based on the expected type of land change. Interpretation of agricultural land abandonment, reforestation and agricultural land expansion require most efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]