Climate change and other challenges
Farmers are among those most affected by climate change:
- more frequent and extreme floods and droughts destroy their crops
- extreme hail and early or late frost affect fruit and vegetable yields
- farmers depend on nature to ensure future production
- outbreak of animal and plant diseases
Everyone agrees that adaptation is no longer an option, but a necessity and it is possible to combine the production of food with natural resources protection.
What’s more, farmers are facing other difficulties:
- low and fluctuating incomes and low profitability
- a weak commercial position in the market
- complex regulatory requirements
- higher fuel costs and growing geopolitical instability
Securing the future of farming
Ensuring the future of a competitive farming in Europe requires an integrated approach to sustainability across all EU policies. This means helping farmers:
- increase competitiveness and sources of income
- adapt to climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution
- use natural resources sustainably and efficiently
- make the most of innovation, technology and the green transition
- create new export opportunities
- reduce critical dependencies
The Commission is working to make the agricultural sector more resilient to climate change, particularly against floods and droughts and shifts in temperature and rainfall.
It has set 2 objectives:
- a long-term objective to make EU farming climate-smart
- a shorter-term objective to help farmers deal with the increasing frequency of crises, including those caused by climate change.
How the EU helps
Our common agricultural policy is the largest source of EU funding for the environment and can ensure that farming and nature go hand in hand.
Innovation and training
The Commission is committed to working with farmers and ensuring that the shift to sustainable food production is fair for everyone. That’s why EU agricultural policy and Horizon Europe, the EU’s flagship research fund, are investing in innovation and training to help farmers with this move.
- Horizon Europe is spending €10 billion on projects relating to food, farming, rural development and the bioeconomy.
- More than 6 million people are expected to benefit from EU-funded advice, training and knowledge exchanges, or will participate in innovation projects under the European Innovation Partnership, focusing on environmental and climate performance and social and rural issues.
Disclaimer: the text of this publication is for information purposes only and is not legally binding.
Related links
More information
Launched in January 2024, the Strategic Dialogue on the future of EU agriculture is a new forum shaping a shared vision for EU's farming.
The EU reviewed certain provisions of the common agricultural policy (CAP) aiming for more flexibility, and more compatibility with farming realities.
Survey on citizens’ perceptions of agriculture, rural areas, and the performance of the common agricultural policy.
More facts on the EU's farming policy
Addressing the most frequent questions on the CAP.
Food for Europe podcast
The Food for Europe podcast is a European podcast series on food and farming, featuring interviews with key players in European agricultural policy.
