Risking European agricultural productivity for sustainable agricultural goals can lead to global tensions, as other countries may not be able to compensate for the reduced production from the bloc, warns an expert from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
The European Commission’s Green Deal, which includes the 2020 Farm to Fork strategy, aims to establish the EU’s food system as a global sustainability standard. By 2030, the plan aims to halve pesticide use, reduce fertilizer use by 20%, and allocate a quarter of agricultural land to organic farming.
However, concerns have arisen about potential consequences for agricultural productivity and the EU’s global leadership and trade relations.
Europe must strike a balance between its global and regional external actions and its domestic sustainable agenda, says David Laborde, director of the agri-food economics division at the UN food agency (FAO).
“I believe greening European agriculture is crucial. It’s about sustainability, and we cannot sacrifice sustainability,” he said.
“But it also doesn’t mean Europe can sacrifice productivity,” he continued, adding that it’s about finding ways for EU countries to achieve sustainable intensification gains and productivity simultaneously.
According to the UN official, the world cannot do without Europe if the continent were to relinquish its role in global demand and supply of agricultural products.
“The less Europe produces, the less it will export, and the more it will demand in world markets. This can increase tensions,” Laborde warns.
For this reason, the bloc faces the challenging task of finding the right “mix of domestic and global policies” that also serves the EU in maintaining its leadership on the world stage in the field of food and nutrition.
Increasing Food Insecurity
Laborde was one of the coordinators of the 2023 State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) report, published in July by the FAO and four other UN agencies – the World Health Organization (WHO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the World Food Programme (WFP), and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
The report revealed that food insecurity, in the form of chronic hunger and malnutrition, especially for children, is increasing due to the COVID pandemic, climate, and local conflicts as seen in Yemen, Syria, and Ukraine.
The 2023 edition of the study also showed an increase in food-insecure people in the UK and continental Europe, mainly due to economic crises and rising living costs.
“In the past three years, we have observed increasing food insecurity in European countries,” said Laborde.
Food security is a concept enshrined in the EU Treaties and is central, along with income support for farmers, to the EU’s main agricultural subsidy program, the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).
However, the concept has taken on a different meaning now. “If you are food insecure in Europe, you may not fall into the category of hunger, but you have to start sacrificing the quality rather than the quantity of what you eat,” he explained.
The percentage of moderately or severely food-insecure people in Europe remains below the threshold of 8%, compared to over 70% in low-income countries.
“Nevertheless, it’s a relatively large increase for Europeans [compared to previous years],” he said. “It’s not just something you see on TV; people are beginning to worry about it.”
Markets and Development Aid
The role of the EU in rebalancing food demand and supply should not be underestimated, given the level of uncertainty in agricultural markets.
“The mission of markets is not to take care of the poorest. Thinking that markets will naturally frame inequality and inclusivity would be a bit naive,” he said.
In this context, the sustainability aspects of agriculture become particularly relevant, as many external environmental effects influence the price of agricultural commodities, emphasized Laborde.
However, Europe is called upon to maintain its leadership as the world’s largest donor in providing development aid.
“Europe still plays a significant role, and that’s good. There’s a bit more to do,” he concluded, referring to the relatively small amount that Europe spends per capita on aid to ensure global food security.
