Sustainable agricultural and food policy
As part of the ‘Green Deal’ presented by the EU Commission in 2020, the Farm to Fork Strategy calls for the restructuring of the EU’s food system from field to fork with a view to sustainability. It named important reduction targets for the use of pesticides and fertilisers and postulated an increase in organic farming to 25%.
This was an important and timely signal in view of the numerous expert reports in recent years at German and European level, which have highlighted major deficits in relation to the sustainability of the current agricultural and food system.
Even if the Green Deal is criticised to some extent, we cannot avoid making our food systems significantly more sustainable, no matter what we call it.
If we do not change anything, the ecosystem services that ensure our survival are in great danger, be it climate, water, soil or biodiversity.
The Common European Agricultural Policy (CAP) is particularly important in this respect. At EU level, the last reform failed to link essential sustainability goals with the CAP. Instead, a bureaucratic monster was created. In order to change this, we must not simply remove our sustainability and environmental protection goals, but instead design a CAP that enables sustainable agriculture and food production without too much bureaucracy.
You can find a good proposal for this (in German) here
Consulting, research, seminars, workshops….
Sustainable food systems
- What are sustainable food systems?
- What is the status quo?
- Where do changes need to start?
- What does this mean for the Common European Agricultural Policy (CAP)?
- Which legal acts need to be further developed?
- What does this mean for European trade agreements?
*Agricultural policy
- What does the new CAP look like?
- What are “strategic plans”?
- Do the first and second pillars still exist?
- What has been decided?
- What does science say?
- Up to date! Agroforestry
Agroforestry as the flagship of the new Eco-Schemes?
Is agroforestry already supported via direct payments?
Or only in the second pillar?
In which federal states does support already exist?
What are the advantages?
Are there disadvantages?
I’m looking forward to discussing with you all these topics, prepare research or provide an overview of selected legal acts and regulations.
Read and hear more …
Beste, A. (2024): Germany: To Reduce Pesticides, Start with Nutrient Management
Beste, A. (2023): Indoor Farming – Sustainability Spin or Substance?
Beste/Beck: (2023): “M as in “malnourished. How do methods of food production and processing influence the quality and nutritious value of food?
Beste, A. (2022): GREENWASHING & HIGH TECH – Faking it: (un-)sustainable solutions for agriculture.
Beste, A. (2022): Keynote lecture ‘On the state of soils in Europe’s agriculture’.
Beste, A. (2021): Agroforestry and CAP – all Talk, no Trees.
Further publications can be found here
