EU’s agri-food system requires systemic transition to become climate-resilient – science advisors
Clean Energy Wire
The entire EU agri-food system is increasingly under threat from climate change, and existing EU policies do not do enough to safeguard food security, protect farmers’ livelihoods, or align agriculture with climate objectives, concluded a report by the European Scientific Advisory Board on Climate Change. Climate-related agricultural losses already amount to tens of billions of euros annually and are expected to rise in the coming decades as the sector becomes increasingly exposed to more severe droughts, floods, heatwaves and disease outbreaks, the report found.
The scientists analysed the entire agri-food system – from fertiliser production to the final food consumer – which accounts for about a third of EU net greenhouse gas emissions. Agriculture is a major part of the system, and the sector has made insufficient progress in reducing emissions so far, the report said. However, simply improving farming practices will not be enough, and policymakers must take the entire system into account.
This requires “a systemic transition that advances both adaptation and mitigation across the value chain, including production systems, land use and consumption patterns,” said the advisors.
The EU’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) came under criticism in the report for failing to deliver these systemic transformations needed to protect the agri-food system. With revisions to the CAP and the EU budget around the corner, the report authors suggested six key recommendations for the future, including: phasing out CAP payments that incentivise carbon-intensive practices, providing adequate public funding, and promoting climate-friendly diets.
“A coherent mix of policies with improved incentives is needed to strengthen both adaptation and mitigation in the agri-food system and to safeguard food security and farmers’ livelihoods as climate-related risks increase,” said Laura Díaz Anadón, vice chair of the Advisory Board.
Reform proposals regarding the European Commission’s CAP faced backlash last year for failing to properly address climate issues. Researchers have long warned that heat, drought and low water levels could have negative impacts for Germany’s agriculture.