Europe’s rural land faces many competing demands for the provision of food, energy and timber, as well as environmental and cultural services.
There is scarcely any true wilderness left in the EU, so the ways in which land is managed affects the quality of the environment as well as the character and social fabric of much of rural Europe.
The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) continues to be a major driver of land use and management decisions. Other sectoral policies, such as those promoting renewable energy, protecting biodiversity and regulating water quality and usage have an important influence too.
IEEP seeks to inform and influence the development of the key EU policies that affect the sustainable use of rural land and to encourage the integration of environmental priorities into these policies.
We provide independent policy research, analysis and advice focussing on ways in which farming and forestry can help to protect Europe’s natural resources and the wide range of environmental goods and services which they support.
Highlights
As a key part of the Green Deal published in May 2020, the European Commission introduced the Farm to Fork strategy which looks at accelerating the transition towards a fair, sustainable and healthy food system. The strategy includes targets for a European food system with a reduced footprint until 2030, addressing the challenges of climate change and biodiversity loss.
Innovation for sustainability comprises social as well as technological achievements and transformations. In the face of the climate and biodiversity crises, a transition to a sustainable and resilient food system calls for a wider understanding of innovation than a focus on technology. In the statement below, IEEP explains its involvement in the RIE Taskforce on Sustainable Agriculture and Innovation.
On Monday, EU farm ministers approved the provisional deal reached with the European Parliament on the new CAP reform. The following assessment looks at the six fundamental issues identified by IEEP as essential for keeping the green ambition of the future CAP alive.
In creating a sustainable and healthy food system, reducing the pressure on the environment is key. As a non-chemical and targeted input, biocontrol can offer a systemic and balanced solution for sustainable agriculture. This new report explores the benefits of biocontrol and the role it could play in the implementation of the European Green Deal.
This event, co-organised by IEEP and the International Biocontrol Manufacturers Association (IBMA), marks the launch of an IEEP report on the benefits of biological pest control for nature, food, health and climate in Europe.
Bioenergy and the reliance of biomass sources, is expected to play a crucial role in delivering the European Green Deal and in decarbonising the energy system to support achieving climate neutrality by 2050. But how sustainable is it, and what are the implications of revised Renewable Energy Directive (RED III)?
Healthy multifunctional soils are key to put the European Green Deal and the Farm to Fork strategy into action. In light of the consultation on the new Soil Strategy, IEEP puts forward three main recommendations to ensure soils are adequately considered and protected in future EU initiatives.
Agriculture is out of the green list for climate action, risking its access to much needed private capital to support the sector in both its sustainability transition and in responding to the adaptation needs in light of a changing climate.
The March super trilogue is a decisive moment for the future of the EU’s farming policy. IEEP's agriculture researchers have put forward recommendations for ensuring that the next CAP policy is fit to support an ambitious implementation of the European Green Deal.
Under the European Green Deal, the EU has pledged to minimise its contribution to deforestation and forest degradation around the world and to promote the consumption of goods from deforestation-free supply chains. But what will that mean in practice?
A new set of three papers from IEEP explores the rational and policy aspects of rural land use transformation in the EU.
IEEP has submitted feedback to the European Commission’s public consultation on the EU classification system for green finance, with a focus on mitigation in the agriculture, forestry and bioenergy sector.
This paper presents the project’s policy recommendations and ‘toolkit’ to help policymakers, researchers and land managers better monitor and assess soils at local, regional and continental scales.
IEEP, Wageningen University & Research and Navigant held a workshop on 18 November to explore where crops for non-food purposes could be grown in Europe in the future. Current policy seeks to steer these crops to abandoned or degraded land, but the workshop looked at how much is available, where it is and how suitable this land might be in practice.
This webinar will look at some of the efforts being undertaken in Canada and the EU when it comes to agriculture and sustainability.
This policy brief examines the way that soil is incorporated into the EU climate policy architecture and gives recommendations for enhancing its position in that architecture.
A preliminary assessment by IEEP shows that EU Agriculture Ministers and the European Parliament have failed to address six essential areas for keeping the green ambition of the next Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) alive.
This briefing paper provides an overview of the current technical and scientific knowledge and additional research needs for the achievement of pesticides and fertiliser reduction objectives under the Green Deal.
This briefing paper examines the returns on investment in EU agricultural research and innovation (R&I), outlining the multi-faceted societal, economic, and environmental benefits as well as the current limitations of measuring returns.
As the EU decision-makers argue over the direction for the urgently needed transition in the livestock sector, how can they align the most relevant policies with the 'Farm to Fork' objectives?
