ILE-ALATAU - This project shows that the protection of a special natural heritage – namely the wild apple forests of Kazakhstan, — is in Europe's strong interest, as it might help to make European apple growing more environmentally friendly.
Green Gold Rush - How Kenya Pays the Cost for Europe’s Obsession with Avocados
MURANGO - Kenya, the largest exporter of avocados in Africa and the sixth largest in the world, has seen extensive deforestation as vast tracts of land are converted to avocado farms, and this is just one of the environmental and social costs of Europe's avocado obsession.
Deaths and Illness at Sugar Refinery Owned by Africa's Richest Man
NUMAN – On land surrounding a huge sugar refinery in Nigeria, dangerously high concentrations of heavy metals appear to have had a devastating effect on people’s lives and farming output.
How Climate Change Threatens Some Wineries While Benefiting Others
GOTLAND / MONTPELLIER – Is global warming making climate conditions less favourable for grape cultivation in southern Europe and more favourable in the north? The cross-border team conducted on-site reporting in four countries to see if this is true.
AMSTERDAM / BONN / HELSINKI / STOCKHOLM — Manure is a valuable part of the agricultural cycle but becomes a huge environmental threat when there's too much of it. The team of journalists in four countries tried to investigate the manure surplus, and discovered that related EU data is not readily ...
GITEGA / ROME - Climate change is making it increasingly difficult to grow coffee plants. What is the future holding for the lovers of this drink? How will plant cultivation change, what is the deal with waste management, and can coffee supply chain become sustainable? This investigation takes you ...
ALMERÍA - At the far end of Europe, on the southern border of Spain, lies Almería. It is a huge province completely covered with white plastic, harbouring Europe’s largest vegetable garden. It is the place where our tomatoes come from, even in winter. But under all the plastic, strange things happen ...
Climate and Economy Push Europe’s Farmers to Mental Health Breaking Point
LARISSA / JAÉN / VASLUI - Farmers are already under immense pressure due to economic strains compounded by stringent EU regulations. Now, the intensifying impacts of climate change are exacerbating these challenges, leading to insomnia, anxiety, and depression among farmers.
The Bitter Taste of Bananas Coming From Costa-Rica to Europe
MATINA - For more than two decades, people living near banana plantations in Costa Rica have been exposed to pesticides sprayed from airplanes, affecting their health and the environment. Despite being banned in Europe, these chemicals are still exported to the Global South for agriculture use ...
Living Under the Veiled Grasp of Factory Farming in Europe
PENFOUL - 142 million pigs, 76 million bovine heads, 62 million sheep, and 12 million goats: the invisible yearly population of farmed animals that live and die on the production line in Europe. Industrial livestock farming across Europe is causing widespread environmental degradation. People living ...
Agriculture vs. nature: Europe's protected ecosystems at risk
BRUSSELS – The link between agriculture and nature is a contested arena in Europe. Over the past decades, the European Union has become one of the leading producers and exporters of agricultural products in the world. But this has come at a great cost for Europe’s ecosystems.
Plant Pandemics Enter Through Open European Borders
PUGLIA / AMSTERDAM – With climate change, diseases that previously wouldn't thrive in Europe have a greater chance of survival, making the peril for agriculture greater than ever. A system with very open borders for plant imports is threatening agriculture in the southern part of the European Union ...
RONCILIONE / CAMPO DE CARTAGENA – The EU aims to reduce fertiliser overuse, but it faces the resistance of the industry and farmers alike. This investigation examines the cases of two hotspots in Italy and Spain, scrutinizing contamination drivers and assessing health, environmental, and economic ...
DAMASCUS - The Mesopotamia, an ancient cradle of civilisation, is formed by the Euphrates and Tigris rivers. But due to drought and the construction of Turkish dams, the rivers are in danger of drying up.
SUCRE - You cannot escape the smoke when driving through Bolivia during the dry season. Left and right, people burn their garbage and their fields. As such, fire has been used as an agricultural technique here for centuries - and increasingly out of control.
Under the Tuscan Sun - The Human Cost of a Glass of Wine
TUSCANY / ISLAMABAD - Most associate the Italian wine country - such as Tuscany, the Langhe and the Prosecco hills -with scenic vineyards where some of the world's most-renowned wine is made but, for many living and working under the Italian sun, the reality is far from idyllic.
Bitter Berries - Exploitation of Nepali Workers in Portugal
KATHMANDU / ODEMIRA / BERLIN – This investigation has revealed that thousands of Nepali migrant workers face a system of informal agencies and debt bondage when working in Portuguese berry fields.
Chlordecone: The Toxic Legacy of Pesticides in the French Antilles
FORT-DE-FRANCE / BASSE TERRE – This investigation goes behind the scenes of a French state scandal, tracing a historical route from governmental actors who approved use of chlordecone, a dangerous chemical, in agriculture, to the realities of victims speaking out today. Their testimonies highlight ...
The Lives of Italy’s Rose Sellers Are Anything but Romantic
ROME / DHAKA - Of the many cases chronicling the exploitation of South Asian migrant workers in Italy, none is perhaps more visible yet underreported than the plight of rose sellers – a common sight in busy tourist destinations like Rome, Milan or Turin.
Soy Traders And EU Food Brands Fuel Deforestation in Argentina
CHACO – A cross-border investigation conducted by Voxeurop and Periodistas por el Planeta reveals that livestock farms in Italy and Spain, two major meat exporters across Europe, as well as iconic food brands are indirectly linked to deforestation in the Chaco province in Argentina.
BERLIN / NAIROBI - Why and how dangerous pesticide products produced in the EU, and Germany in particular, are continued to be sold in other countries? The investigation looks at how agrochemical companies try to maintain an unregulated pesticide market, despite tightening regulations in Europe.
ALMERIA – The environmental crisis in southern Spain is hitting hard: even drinking water is becoming scarce. A 40-year free-for-all on the “Garden of Europe”, a thriving agricultural industry, has led Almeria to the brink of catastrophe.
EPERNAY / COLOMBO - For decades, champagne has been a symbol of luxury. But in recent years, the sparkling wine from eastern France has taken a battering. Severalhuman trafficking scandals have hit the famous French industry.
EXTREMADURA/LEIRIA – The Fuelling a Megafire report is intended to help build a new understanding of mega fires and the structural causes accommodating them.
Intensive Dairy Farming: Increasing Water Pollution
MODENA — Some EU members states are still allowed to apply high levels of nitrogen to grassland, despite the long-adopted EU’s Water Framework Directive. The investigation contrasts the status of surface water in Ireland, where it is the case, and Italy, and reveals the impact of intensive dairy ...
REYKJAVÍK – This investigation explored the controversy around PMSG, a hormone used for meat production: How it is produced, why and where it is used, ethical debates, and the complex legal battles around it.