The EU’s agri-food system accounts for around a third of the EU’s net greenhouse gas emissions. At the same time, extreme weather and crop failures – problems that are expected to increase in the future – are already costing nearly EUR 30 billion a year.
“The agricultural sector has only managed to reduce its emissions of methane and nitrous oxide by 7 per cent over the last twenty years – a modest reduction compared with many other industries or sectors. It is very clear that the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy needs to change,” says Lars J Nilsson, professor of environmental and energy systems at the Faculty of Engineering at Lund University and a member of the ESABCC.
Currently heading for failure
A new report from the ESABCC shows that the EU’s agri-food systems is not making sufficient progress to enable the EU to meet its climate targets. It also shows that the current Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) is not leading to reduced emissions, food security, or enabling farmers to cope with increased climate risks, currently most evident in southern Europe. The report also states that the risk of future food shortages is an issue that the EU needs to address.
“In its report, the ESABCC recommends that agricultural subsidies for the activities that emit the most greenhouse gases be phased out, and economic instruments introduced to promote both reduced emissions and climate adaptation. Another conclusion is that the food system as a whole must be redirected towards healthier diets and less food waste,” says Lars J Nilsson.
Making the polluter pay
The budget for the Common Agricultural Policy is EUR 50 billion per year, around a third of the EU’s total budget. The report comes at just the right time, as the next seven-year budget is currently being negotiated.
“There is now a real opportunity to gradually introduce pricing for greenhouse gas emissions and use the revenue to support the transition of the agricultural sector and ensure reliable food production within Europe,” says Lars J Nilsson.
“Link to measures that have proven effective”
Murray Scown is an associate senior lecturer at the Lund University Centre for Sustainability Studies and has conducted research into the CAP, focusing on the extent to which the EU’s agricultural policy contributes to the global sustainable development goals. He emphasises that the CAP is the single most powerful financial mechanism the EU has for steering agriculture towards its climate targets.
“A reformed agricultural policy can be used to provide farmers with financial support during the transition and to strengthen climate adaptation and efforts to mitigate climate change. CAP support for climate action must be directly linked to measures that have proven effective.”
Murray Scown is unsure whether the proposal will actually be heeded, however.
“Unfortunately, it seems to me unlikely that agricultural policy will be revised, particularly given that it has so far failed to align with the Global Goals. We will have to see how the political negotiations – and indeed the agricultural lobby – might influence the CAP.”
From annual to perennial crops
Lennart Olsson, professor of geography at the Lund University Centre for Sustainability Studies, wishes to emphasise the importance of fundamentally reforming the way agriculture is practised in Europe. He is a researcher studying how we can switch from annual crops – which degrade soil, require large amounts of pesticides and new seeds every year – to entirely new perennial crops that grow back year after year.
Agriculture is often seen as a source of residual emissions, that is emissions that are difficult to eliminate entirely. However, a shift from the current near-total dominance of annual crops to novel perennial crops in polycultures has the potential to transform agriculture into a carbon sink. Adapting, improving and scaling up novel perennial cereal crops could also contribute to food security under the climatic conditions we can expect in the future,” says Lennart Olsson.
“Increased carbon sequestration is the way forward”
Lovisa Björnsson, Professor of Environmental and Energy Systems at LTH, takes a similar line when she highlights the loss of organic matter from arable land.
“A decline in organic matter content in peatlands leads to a significant increase in greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere, and halting this trend is to be a priority, as recommended by the European Scientific Advisory Board on Climate Change.”
However, Lovisa Björnsson believes that a change of course is also important for mineral soils, which make up the majority of arable land in Europe.
“Although the greenhouse gas emissions resulting from reduced organic matter content in the mineral soils where we grow annual crops are relatively small, this leads to other problems, such as a steady decline in fertility, water-holding capacity and drainage. These characteristics are vital for a resilient food system," says Lovisa Björnsson.
Like Lennart Olsson, she believes that increasing carbon sequestration is key to future success.
“The EU can encourage what is known as ‘carbon farming’, which involves farmers adding organic matter to mineral soils and increasing retention. Measures to achieve this include growing intermediate crops and using biofertiliser from biogas plants, something that is common practice in Sweden,” says Lovisa Björnsson.
Biotechnology can reduce dependence on imports
Cecilia Tullberg is the director of FORCE – Center for Food System Resilience and Competitiveness. She is a researcher at the Faculty of Engineering at Lund University, where she is working on biotechnology and new ways of producing food by utilising agricultural “residual flows”, using microorganisms and enzymes, for example.
“The EU can, and should, transform its agricultural sector. Above all, we need to focus on sustainable, fossil-free alternatives that reduce our reliance on imported inputs such as fuel, fertiliser and seed,” says Cecilia Tullberg.
She believes that, in order to successfully transition, the EU also needs to do more to promote products made within the Union.
“We need, for example, to reduce soya imports and use beans and peas, which promote soil health and can be grown more locally. We need to get better at making use of everything that is produced, and using the by-products of agriculture and food production. Biotechnological solutions could prove to be important tools in this regard.”
More locally produced food in the future
As a food scientist, what does she have to say about the current hot topic – meat consumption?
“We generally need to eat more pulses and whole grains for the sake of our health and the climate, and eat less meat. Yet livestock farming is an important part of the Swedish food and agricultural landscape – not least for biodiversity and for the resilience of farmers. So, when we do eat meat, it’s all the more important to choose sustainably produced options,” says Cecilia Tullberg.
For consumers, a more sustainable food system could lead to more locally grown and produced food, which might bring better quality and taste.
“A more secure and flexible food system also increases the likelihood that we will be able to produce food within the EU for generations to come.”
