Around this time of year this winter flowering evergreen shrub paints one of the prettiest natural landscapes by colouring pink the limestone garigue and valley sides with its clusters of bell-shaped flowers (occasionally found in darker shades or, rarely, almost white). This native plant, the only one represented in Malta from the species-rich Ericaceae family...
The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) of the EU was initially introduced to increase agricultural production in order to stabilise agricultural markets and farmers’ incomes. In last month’s newsletter we shared a more detailed article about the latest reform of the CAP, as well as its meaning for Malta’s farmers. Follow this link to read the...
One of the most spectacular archaeophytes of Malta, introduced in ancient times, is the Carob Tree, with its dome-like canopy providing a shady refuge for both wildlife and humans all year round. After these autumn rains it is not only the visual landscape which changes around us, but even the olfactory one as flowering male...
Veggies for the win. If you missed the Malta Free Meat Week challenge organised by VeggyMalta from October 18 until 24, you’re not too late to do something about it! Friends of the Earth supported this initiative through its social media channels by promoting benefits of a meat free diet, sharing some inspirational recipes and...
We are redesigning our ‘Malta Farm Map’ Friends of the Earth Malta are looking for a web designer to support us as we revamp our ‘Malta Farm Map’. The aim of this map is to support local farms and to provide a platform for citizens to find their closest farmer to access fresh local produce....
The Common Agricultural Policy was initiated by the EU with the aim of guaranteeing affordable food security, while simultaneously improving productivity of agricultural land and supporting the famers who make it all possible. The current CAP framework is built on two key pillars. The first pillar grants financial support to farmers, depending on the area...
Enter Autumn! (or so we hope…for the sake of all farmers, all wildlife and all gardens in need of some rest from the heat…) The Autumn Squill is the miniature equivalent of the Sea Squill we introduced last August as our plant of the month. This tiny indigenous flower of less than a cm is...
Alongside the Sea Squill (featured in August) the Ground Thistle is one of the only species to flower boldly at this time of year. Its first signs of life come as quite a surprise in the form of a bright pink flower emerging from the drab landscape and dried up foliage from the preceding season....
August is one of the toughest months for all wildlife and few plants have the resilience to survive the scorching heat and drought of the Maltese dry season. Annual species usually complete their life cycle before the heat while perennials adopt extreme strategies such as by having tiny but tough leaves, by going dormant in...
