Atlas Mediterra. Mediterranean agriculture, food, fisheries & the rural world

POPULATIONS AND ECONOMIES Never before have there been so many people in the Mediterranean. Developing in hugely contrasting ways on the two shores, they face economic, social and demographic challenges which, first and foremost, concern agriculture and the rural world. PEOPLE AND PRODUCTIONS Farmers, who fashioned the cradle of agriculture, have seen their work evolve and change throughout history. Here, at the beginning of the 21st century, what are the strengths and key features of Mediterranean farming and its products ? FOOD AND HEALTHY EATING While the Mediterranean diet is world-renowned for its nutritional qualities and its conviviality, food insecurity is still with us and malnutrition, which is on the rise, should concern us all the more. FACETS OF THE MEDITERRANEAN Down the ages, the Mediterranean has been a place of migration of men, ideas and goods. Surely the time has come to build a space for cooperation where agriculture, sustainable development and food play a crucial role. REGIONAL CONTRASTS All too often, even now, the towns of the Mediterranean compete with the rural Mediterranean. Without a balanced development of the different regions, there can be neither sustainable development nor social cohesion. The two shores will not even be able to live comfortably side by side. REGIONS AND RESOURCES The Mediterranean region is unique in the world, impressive for its diversity and riches. Yet its increasing fragility is also cause for concern. Aridity, soil degradation, migration to the coast : all demand a robust, rapid and concerted response. FISHERIES AND AQUACULTURE The natural road offered to ships, "the sea amid the land", is one of the oldest fisheries in the world. Growing demand drove the Mediterranean people to other seas and the development of aquaculture. MEDITERRANEAN AND GLOBALISATION The Mediterranean looks to the world and the world to the Mediterranean. In a globalised world where regions serve as places for trade and regulation, Euro-Mediterranean cooperation heralds a new era in its thousand-year history.