Agriculture and sustainable development in the EU
Despite having many challenges in common, research on agriculture and rural development in Europe is by and large carried out at country level. This has resulted in fragmented and uncoordinated agricultural policy across the continent. The EU-funded 'Facing sustainability: New relationships between rural areas and agriculture in Europe' (RURAGRI)(opens in new window) project set up a European Research Area Network (ERA-NET) to advance research in this sector. The project was dedicated to developing a common research agenda that will guide research and funding in the field of agriculture and rural development. Overall, the goal was to improve connectivity between urban and rural areas. To meet the challenge of sustainable development for European agriculture, a greater understanding is needed of how urban development is affecting agriculture. Researchers identified factors for the project's success: a clear and common vision, dedicated people at all levels, a strong coordination secretariat and a dissemination strategy. Following this, RURAGRI members mapped existing research and information exchange oriented towards future joint activity. The Strategic Research Agenda (SRA) was a major project result, developed to integrate European and international research structures. Three input documents were produced and discussed at length at RURAGRI workshops. A synopsis of the three discussions that took place was written up and provided feedback for refining the SRA. Another major project outcome was an EU-wide call for project proposals that address one of three core issues: diversity, rural–urban relationships and governance. Five collaborative research projects have been funded. RURAGRI has researched and established an SRA in a key research area. Considered against the backdrop of EU agricultural and rural development policies, an SRA will prove invaluable as support for relevant decision makers and research managers.