69. Cyprus: organic farming on the rise

On 1 January 2026, Cyprus took over from Denmark as the rotating president of the Council of the European Union, with the motto: ‘An autonomous Union, open to the world.’ The priority of Cyprus for the farming sector is to facilitate political discussions on the new Common Agricultural Policy for the period 2028-2034. Against a backdrop of climate change and geopolitical instability, the Cypriot presidency wants to strengthen food security in the European Union. It aims to make agriculture more competitive and sustainable by reducing dependence on fossil fuel-based inputs. This is a battle that the third largest island in the Mediterranean has been fighting on its own turf. The 69th episode of Food for Europe takes you on a journey to discover the recent but impressive growth of organic farming in Cyprus. Christina Christodoulou, the island's first beekeeper whose beehives have been certified organic – and who also heads the Cyprus Organic Farmers Association — gives us an overview of organic farming in the country and talks about the factors that are encouraging farmers to convert to organic methods. We take you to meet Vassilis Kyprianou, a farmer, livestock breeder and dairy producer whose organic farm is renowned worldwide. With Professor Dimitris Sarris, Research Director at the Kes Research Centre, we address the issue of water scarcity and the solutions that can be implemented to combat the desertification of agricultural land in Cyprus Finally, Silia Ftellecha, Desk Officer for Cyprus at the European Commission's Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development, gives us an overview of her country's agriculture and gastronomy.