Suchergebnisse

""The Visible Hands That Feed" approaches the food sector against the backdrop of its pivotal role for social and ecological relations to trace the potentials and limitations for sustainable change from within. This is accomplished through an in-depth exploration of the practices, visions, concerns, and relationships that unfold at the very locations where food is grown, processed, stored, and served."

On the basis of a literature review, this paper outlines the main mitigation options for agricultural activities and the broader food system on the supply and the demand side. Economic, policy/legal barriers, technical barriers, socio-cultural barriers, institutional barriers as well as biophysical or environmental barriers exist that hinder the implementation of these options. Such barriers operate at farm level, at national level, at the international level as well as at consumer level. The identified barriers are clustered and recommendations are developed to overcome them, including capacity building and education, participatory approaches with farmers, setting economic incentives right, redirecting public support to focus on sustainable practices, reforming agricultural subsidies, stricter regulations, improved tenure security, coherent policy signals, addressing policies and trade structures at international level and market regulations for fairer prices to producers. However, suitable approaches for the development of food systems need to be context-specific as agricultural systems as well as barriers obstructing the implementation of mitigation approaches are highly diverse and specific to local circumstances. Including mitigation targets related to agriculture in countries' NDCs provides an opportunity to raise ambition to tackle emissions related to food systems.

The European Soil Strategy for 2030 by the European Commission has set the foundations for an overarching approach to the protection of soils in Europe. In this scientific opinion paper, the German Environment Agency (⁠UBA⁠) lays down its key recommendations for the upcoming Soil Health Law. Feedback on legislative options is provided and experience gained in Germany in the past years on soil protection and restoration is shared. Knowing the outstanding importance of soils for human and ecosystem health, UBA strongly agrees that a new binding European legislative framework on soils with high ambition is urgently needed.