Throughout the year, the Forum for the Future of Agriculture organises regional conferences and online events to discuss agriculture and the environment at a national level across Europe. The next edition will take place on Wednesday, May 26 in Santarém, Portugal and will also be available to watch live online, free of charge with translations available in Portuguese to English.
Southern European countries are at high risk of droughts and water stress due to the impacts of climate change rise. Increased droughts can have severe knock-on effects such as loss of topsoil and desertification which do not just impact farm profitability, but also farmland biodiversity and existing habitats. Cooperation is not just needed at the European level to ensure equitable water access, but also at the regional level to deliver the needed water to sustain local agriculture and habitats. The first session of FFA2021 Regional Portugal will explore sustainable farming practices in Southern Europe with a focus on water use and farmland habitat management.
Lifting sustainability standards in international trade represents not just a critical component of delivering on global commitments on the environment, but also on labour conditions, the rights of indigenous peoples, and contribution to halting and reversing the climate emergency. Balancing economic gains with the possible negative externalities generated by increased economic activity remains one of the most difficult aspects of international trade. The aim of the second session is to explore ways trade deals can embed sustainability targets and promote trade that reduces harmful impacts on the environment.
With the recent ongoing discussion around New Genomic Techniques (NGTs) in European Institutes, the Forum has decided to host a Solutions Workshop in the afternoon of May 26. The workshop has been split into two sessions where the first will explore the potential of NGTs towards reaching targets in the EU Farm to Fork Strategy. The following session will assess the worldwide role of NGTs in the fight against climate change and making agriculture climate resilient.
While the events are taking place in Santarém, Portugal, anyone is welcome to be part of the dialogue by joining the discussion through our digital venue. The digital venue was first launched for the FFA2021 Month of March where over a thousand individuals connected, discussed ideas together and watched the events on Food System Renewal. The digital platform provides a unique experience that separates the Forum from average webinars. Those who sign up will be able to watch the live events from Portugal, network with other attendees, access exclusive content at the stands in the exhibition area and discover sustainable recipes in the kitchen.
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The 1st Farming Biodiversity Summit will convene on May 27 from 10:00 WEST – 12:40 WEST; in order to be the arena for a genuine and concrete discussion on the future of biodiversity in European agriculture. Confederação dos Agricultores de Portugal (CAP), the European Landowners’ Organization (ELO), and CropLife Europe, under the auspices of the Portuguese Presidency of the Council of the European Union, are joining forces to discuss the necessary alliance between biodiversity conservation and agricultural management.
The Farming Biodiversity Summit strives to address the difficult balance that needs to be achieved between farm productivity and environmental preservation in a context of global recession due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic has already contributed to shedding light upon the essential role that farmers play in providing healthy, affordable, and traceable food; and a genuinely environmentally friendly food system for Europe. It is the considered opinion of many that agricultural methods and food processes are incompatible with the preservation and revitalisation of ecosystems. Nevertheless, in spite of the issues of image and common public opinion, land managers are conscious of the necessity of a transformative change and action towards nature-based land management for the creation of an agricultural system which will provide for future generations.
The new 2030 Biodiversity Strategy of the EU Commission is undoubtedly ambitious; however, with the passing of time, the EU has made goals, and in turn, failed to achieve what they set out to do; halt biodiversity loss and to claim back lost territory by restoring natural habitats and species to their original state. Likewise, there is a complexity that is arising from the policy developments surrounding the strategy; from the combination of new objectives and targets related to the food chain and the new CAP. Which could hinder progress instead of contributing to it.
Thus, the Farming Biodiversity Summit aims to question, will the Biodiversity Strategy targets and proposals be achieved? Will the Strategy be utilised for commitments in international trade to create and level playing field? Will technological progress in agriculture enable the development of sustainable environment-friendly agriculture? Is the Biodiversity Strategy heading in the right direction and how can EU funds be streamlined for genuine biodiversity conservation?