| Abstract |
CONTEXT: Agriculture plays a central role in the European Green Deal with various policies and strategies converging to promote sustainable agriculture and food systems. The Farm to Fork strategy approaches agriculture from a sustainable food systems perspective. Sustainable agriculture is also central in the European Biodiversity strategy, in the Long-term vision for EU Rural areas and in the Soil strategy. Despite clear policy objectives, there is still a long way towards an effective transition towards sustainable agriculture based on integrated, science based, solutions.OBJECTIVE: This paper aims to contribute to the debate on the challenges and opportunities for the transition towards a sustainable agriculture in Europe, the role of European policies and practical approaches.METHODS: We reviewed policy documents, scientific literature and global data to reflect on the vision of the Farm to Fork and other European strategies affecting sustainable agriculture, focussing on which policy instruments are foreseen to reach their objectives, which are the key-challenges related to achieve more sustainable farming, and on possible approaches to attain sustainable agriculture. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: We provide an overview of synergies and shared objectives between different European policies and strategies aiming to support the transition to sustainable agriculture from environmental, social and economic perspectives. We identified several often reported challenges to attain sustainable food systems: reduced yields, increased land demand, nitrogen needs, changes in diet, food waste, distribution and access to food , externalities to third countries. Finally, we discuss two main approaches to sustainable agriculture with potential complementarity to fulfil the objectives of sustainable agriculture as reflected in the different European policies , strategies. Sustainable intensification with focus on environmental-friendly production, and agroecology with focus on ecology, social justice and food sovereignty. We reflect on how both approaches can be integrated to create synergies and optimize delivery of multiple ecosystem services. The transformation to sustainable agriculture, as expected from the several revised strategies, is not just a technical question of farming practices, but requires a holistic approach considering social, economic, cultural, technical and environmental aspects. Local adaptations, stakeholder participation, and recognition that agriculture pro-duces more than crops, are key to support this transition of agriculture and food systems.SIGNIFICANCE: The transition towards more sustainable agriculture requires alignment of policies related to social, economic and environmental aspects, including social and economic acknowledgment to farmers, as managers of agroecosystems and cultural landscapes delivering a range of ecosystem services. |