Agriculture © European Commission
Agriculture is a key sector, not only for human subsistence, but also for biodiversity protection and climate change mitigation and adaptation.
Agriculture and biodiversity are interrelated as on one hand biodiversity needs agriculture as certain habitat types and species depend on agricultural habitats and activities, such as grazing. On the other hand, agriculture needs biodiversity, e.g. pollinators are essential for many crops.
Common Agricultural Policy
The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) is the main EU legal framework for agriculture development in Europe. It is built around three main goals to achieve a sustainable system of agriculture in the EU: 1) economic sustainability, 2) environmental sustainability, and 3) the social sustainability of farms.
There are measures in the CAP to protect farmland ecosystems and promote environmentally friendly agricultural practices.
Protected Areas and Farmers can be allies, working for common solutions
Europe has a fragmented landscape which is under increasing pressure from competing land use demands and climate change, as well as, challenging conditions for food production. Despite all conservation efforts, there remains a dramatic loss of biodiversity and a degradation of ecosystems. This is neither good for biodiversity nor for farming.
While agriculture and Protected Areas are often perceived to be in opposition, they are in fact playing complimentary roles. Protected Areas and agricultural production are part of the same landscape and of a larger, more integrated rural ecosystem from which goods and services from nature can be optimized, with integrated complimentary systems.
EUROPARC is committed to supports positive dialogue between agricultural and Protected Area communities and has identified many success stories showcasing the effective partnerships already existing in many European National, Regional and Periurban Parks, conciliating farming interests with biodiversity conservation, contributing to climate change actions and fostering the creation of Europe’s rural areas as living landscapes.
EUROPARC is strongly committed in supporting dialogue between farmers and managers of protected areas, convinced that they can be allied in win-win partnership.
See EUROPARC position paperand EUROPARC Recommendations and learn more about the experiences available from the EUROPARC Network in our Knowledge Hub on Sustainable Agriculture.
You can find more information about the EU Common Agricultural policy here.
The EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 has targets for biodiversity in agriculture.
Farm to Fork Strategy
The Farm to Fork Strategy aims to design a fair, healthy and environmentally-friendly food system by re-adapting all the food value chain from the farmer to the consumer. With the desire to improve the place of farmers and fishermen in the food production chain and empower the consumer to make informed choices, the Farm to Fork strategy is a key document to ensure safe, nutritious and of high-quality food, setting the global standard for sustainability.
EU Farm to Fork
As part of the European Green Deal, the Farm to Fork Strategy seeks to rethink the whole food value chain in order to improve its sustainability at each step: from production to consumption.
Indeed, sustainable agriculture need to take into account nature conservation to ensure a fair, healthy and environmentally-friendly food system. Policy coherence among diverse EU legislation is crucial.
“Climate change and biodiversity loss constitute imminent and lasting threats to food security and livelihoods.”
People are also an essential part of the Farm to Fork. The Strategy is built on the desire for a partnership between all the actors, improving in particular the status of farmers and fishermen in the food value chain.
Sustainable agriculture and sustainable fishery within Protected Areas can be a model to provide safe, nutritious and high-quality products. Protected Areas play an important role in implementation of the Farm to Fork Strategy.
EUROPARC strictly believe in the possibility of good and win-win alliance between biodiversity conservation and sustainable agriculture and fishery sectors. Since many years, EUROPARC Federation and its members has been reinforcing the dialogue with farmers in and near National and Regional Parks, as well as with the fishermen in Marine Protected Areas. Favouring those partnerships contributes to improve the status of farmers and fishermen by rewarding their effort to include nature conservation in their practices and by promoting local, nutritious and sustainable products.
The Farm to Fork Strategy recognises the inextricable links between healthy people, healthy societies and a healthy planet. The key mission of the Protected Areas is to guarantee healthy habitats: EUROPARC is committed to promote the key contribution that protected areas provide to the human health.
Want to learn more on Health and Protected Areas? Have a look at our knowledge hub!