Agriculture and food system

The main function of the food system and its primary sector, agriculture, is to satisfy the basic human need for food, but sustainable food systems also maintain ecosystem health and contribute to social well-being. At the same time, the food system is one of Europe’s major systems of production and consumption, causing over one-fifth of all environmental and climate impacts.

Modern food systems constitute complex global networks of production, processing, manufacturing, supply, retail, services, and consumption. Agriculture is the main food production sector complemented by fisheries and aquaculture. The food system includes many other sectors and actors involved in the processing, distribution, transport and consumption of food.

Global food chains, market competition, industrial processes and increased productivity have turned modern agriculture into a sizeable economic sector but this has also created challenges for the environment and climate. For example, agriculture is the source of 11% of all greenhouse gases emitted in the EU, and it remains a significant contributor to the emissions of harmful air pollutants, such as ammonia.

Agriculture is the most significant pressure impacting both surface and groundwaters.

Agriculture, fisheries and the food system are also key drivers of biodiversity and habitat loss through land conversion, soil degradation, overfishing, water abstraction, and chemical and nutrient pollution. Moreover, human health is directly dependent on the sustainability of the food system. Unhealthy diets, exposure to chemical residues in food and packaging, and contamination of drinking water are just some examples of this critical link.

At the same time, agricultural production and the resilience of the food system are themselves dependent on natural resources and processes, and sensitive to environmental degradation and climate change. Reducing these environmental pressures and adapting to their impacts is, therefore, necessary in order to protect food security, farming land and farmers’ livelihoods.

Agriculture and food systems also deliver important benefits to people and the environment, including through the accumulation of CO₂ as carbon in vegetation and soils, conserving semi-natural habitats and wildlife species, and more efficient technologies, social innovations, and circular economy practices. These solutions must now be incentivised and scaled up, paying attention to the risk of trade-offs and maximizing co-benefits whenever possible.

Recent data and indicators from the EEA and other EU institutions show that:

Agricultural area, including arable lands, pastures and mosaic farmlands, covers 39% of the EU’s total land area.
Agricultural areas are the most affected land category by land take. 1.4% of agricultural areas were lost in the EU-28 due to conversion into urban areas between 2000 and 2018.
Organic farming in the EU has been continuously increasing since 2012 and extended to 10.5% of the utilised agricultural area. It is projected to reach 15%, which can be accelerated by the foreseen additional support from the European Green Deal.
Agriculture is the source of 11% of all greenhouse gases emitted in the EU, including over 54% of all methane emissions.
Despite legislation addressing nutrient pollution, the average nitrate concentration in EU groundwaters did not change significantly from 2000 to 2021.
Agriculture also contributes to 94% of all ammonia emissions.
Based on data reported under the Habitats and Birds Directives, agricultural activities (together with urbanisation) are the most frequently reported pressures for both habitats and species.
In 2020, one or more pesticides were detected above thresholds of concern (a risk to human health) at 22% of all monitoring sites in rivers and lakes across Europe. In terms of soil pollution, 83% of agricultural soils tested in a 2019 study contained pesticide residues.

The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) represents the main policy tool in the EU to ensure a stable food supply, safeguard farmers’ income, and protect the environment. Despite significant investment in the environmental objectives of the CAP and efforts by the EU and Member States, agriculture’s contribution to environmental degradation, biodiversity loss, water scarcity and greenhouse gas emissions has continued.

The need for a systemic change involving all actors along the food value chain has been increasingly recognised. Agriculture and food systems have been at the core of recent policy developments under the European Green Deal, including the zero pollution action plan, the EU biodiversity strategy for 2030 and the European climate law.

The central component of the strategic policy efforts is the Farm to Fork strategy, which aims to accelerate the transition to a sustainable food system by introducing regulatory and non-regulatory initiatives, building on a reformed Common Agricultural Policy and Common Fisheries Policy as tools to support a just transition.

EEA's assessments show that, despite the advances achieved under the EU’s farm to fork strategy, the existing EU policy mix is characterised by gaps and inconsistencies that limit the potential to achieve transformative change.

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Frequently asked questions

Solutions for restoring Europe’s agricultural ecosystems

This EEA briefing presents evidence-based examples of key options available to farmers to help restore Europe’s ecosystems and enhance the ability of the agricultural sector to cope with increasing climate change impacts like droughts and floods as well as boosting productivity.

The study says introducing some key agricultural practices can prove to be a win-win for both farmers and local nature, delivering better resilience and restoring local ecosystems like grasslands, hedgerows or creeks.

Agriculture: where next?

While global food chains, market competition, industrial processes and increasing productivity have turned agriculture into a profitable economic sector, it is also one of the biggest contributors to environmental and sustainability challenges in Europe and worldwide. In tandem, the COVID-19 pandemic, recent geopolitical developments in Europe and socio-economic trends have driven attention towards agriculture and food systems. Our briefing 'Rethinking agriculture' reflects on what makes agriculture unsustainable today — and the types of agriculture we may want to preserve and support.

This briefing is part of an EEA series called 'Narratives for change', exploring the diversity of ideas needed to make our society more sustainable and fulfil the ambitions of the European Green Deal.

More in our briefing 'Rethinking agriculture'

Reducing impacts of pesticides

Widespread pesticide use is major source of pollution — contaminating water, soil and air, driving biodiversity loss and leading to pest resistance. Human exposure to chemical pesticides is linked to chronic illnesses, such as cancer, and heart, respiratory and neurological diseases.

The EEA briefing ‘How pesticides impact human health and ecosystems in Europe’ summarises the latest knowledge on how chemical pesticides impact our health and the environment and presents good practices to reduce their use and risk across Europe. It showcases good practices for how to reduce pesticide use and manage the associated risks without jeopardizing food supply.

More in EEA briefing on pesticide use and impacts

Alfred Eder, NATURE@work/EEA

Urgent action needed to reverse soil degradation in Europe

Soil degradation threatens our competitiveness, food security, agricultural productivity, biodiversity, and resilience to extreme weather events and climate change. Joint efforts at EU, national, and local level focus on restoring soil health.

Launched at the EU Soil Observatory Stakeholder Forum, the 2024 State of Soils in Europe report assesses the state of soil degradation across the EU and other countries in the European Economic Area, including Ukraine, Türkiye, and the Western Balkans. The report shows alarming status and trends, with soil degradation getting much worse in recent years, and highlights the need for immediate action to reverse this trend.

The State of Soils in Europe report is a collaboration between the Joint Research Centre and the European Environment Agency.

Find out more in the report

Pollution from fertilisers used in agriculture: do you want to know more?

See cross-cutting story in our zero pollution report

ImageJuha Lampinen, Well with Nature/EEA

Share of the utilised agricultural area in the EU-27 used for organic farming over the period 2012-2021
Source

Organic farming area in Europe: Austria in the lead

The European Green Deal set the target that, by 2030, 25% of the EU’s agricultural area should be under organic farming.

The share of the EU’s agricultural land under organic farming increased from 5.9% in 2012 to 9.9% in 2021 as a result of an increasing demand for organic products and policy support. To meet the target, the pace will need to almost double in the remaining years up to 2030. Although the policies currently in place are expected to increase the share of organic farming, this will not be enough to meet the target.

Our indicator also shows this information by country and how it changed between 2012 and 2021.

See EEA indicator on organic farming

Tackling food waste

Some 57 million tonnes of food waste (127 kg/inhabitant) are generated annually with an associated market value estimated at EUR 130 billion. Food waste means that all the resources used to produce food — water, soil and energy — are also wasted. Also, the pollutants and greenhouse gases released during production, transport and marketing contribute to environmental degradation and climate change.

Read more about food waste and how it can be reduced in a circular economy.

Healthy seas, thriving fisheries: transitioning to an environmentally sustainable sector

Europe’s regional seas are generally in poor condition which threatens the long-term competitiveness and sustainability of the European fishing industry. Overfishing, bycatch and habitat degradation drive the decline of marine biodiversity in Europe’s seas, together with pressures from eutrophication, pollution and climate change.

The EEA briefing provides an overview of the environmental state of European fisheries and identifies concrete options to help achieve a competitive and sustainable fishing industry in the long-term.

Agriculture and food system

Solutions for restoring Europe’s agricultural ecosystems

Agriculture: where next?

Reducing impacts of pesticides

Urgent action needed to reverse soil degradation in Europe

Pollution from fertilisers used in agriculture: do you want to know more?

Organic farming area in Europe: Austria in the lead

Tackling food waste

Healthy seas, thriving fisheries: transitioning to an environmentally sustainable sector

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