Global Soil Health Programme

In the EU, agriculture systems are responsible for 10% of GHG emissions and are a leading cause of biodiversity loss. Achieving the goals of the Green Deal and the Farm to Fork Strategy will require ambitious multistakeholder action and farmer ownership. Convening under the EU Carbon+ Farming Coalition, a group of corporations, NGOs and academics, in consultation with farmer organizations aim at developing farmer-centric, practical and scalable solutions to support the transition towards climate-smart agriculture.

To spur and sustain the transformation of agricultural systems towards net zero, a farmer centric approach is needed. Across Europe, farmers should be supported on four key areas financing and risk management, innovation ecosystems, education and awareness, and an enabling policy environment.

A new report from @WorldEconomicForum, Transforming Food Systems with Farmers: A Pathway for the EU, finds that if 20% additional farmers adopted climate-smart practices, by 2030 the EU could reduce its annual agricultural greenhouse gas emissions by an estimated 6%, restore soil health of over 14% of its total agricultural land to fight future food shocks and add up to €9.3 billion annually to farmers’ income.

Some Key Messages

• Better food systems are key to transitioning towards a sustainable economy
• Growth in the EU’s agricultural sector has come at the expense of environmental health, with soil degradation costing nearly €100bn and threatening future crop supply
• The report finds that if 20% additional farmers adopted climate-smart agriculture, by 2030 the EU could enhance the security of its food systems, reduce its annual agricultural greenhouse gas emissions by 6%, restore soil health over an area equivalent to 14% of its total agricultural land and add up to €9.3 billion annually to farmers’ income by 2030

 

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First published: 4 April 2022