Soil health: Sustainable agriculture transition in Europe will cost US$32.3 billion, flags FDE report

13 Dec 2023 --- A new report by FoodDrinkEurope (FDE) suggests that soil health should act as the key performance indicator measuring the EU’s successful transition to sustainable agriculture. Farmers interviewed for this analysis share their growing concerns that climate change has impacted their ability to maintain organic matter levels in soil.

Soil health acts as a common and measurable theme across agriculture. It is fundamental to the long-term sustainability of food and farming systems and directly impacts the key social, economic and environmental aspects of farming raised by stakeholders.

For example, these include food security, farmers’ livelihoods, nature, biodiversity and the impact of climate change.

“Our study has found that it will cost around €30 billion [US$32.3 billion] to transition to more sustainable agriculture in the EU,” Will Surman, FDE deputy director general, tells Food Ingredients First.

Soil degradation in Europe costs €50 billion (USS$53.9 billion) a year, FDE flags.“That pales into insignificance when you consider that soil degradation in Europe costs €50 billion [US$53.9 billion] a year due to its impact on things like food production, nutrient cycling, carbon sequestration and water retention,” he stresses.

“But the question is: Who pays? Our discussion paper has a few ideas to kick off President von der Leyen’s strategic dialogue in earnest. We have no time to wait.”

Conserving nature’s carbon sinks
The FDE report highlights soil is directly or indirectly responsible for 95% of the food produced in the EU and is highly important for reducing greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) from agriculture, as it is one of the most effective and important carbon sinks on the planet.

Soil offers almost 90% of the global potential for reducing GHG emissions from agriculture and hosts 25% of all biodiversity on the planet, highlights the analysis.

However, each year, it is estimated that €1.25 billion (US$1.35 billion) is lost in European agricultural productivity because of soil erosion, indicating what the FDE calls an “enormous financial opportunity for government and the food and drink industry alike if improved and protected.”

“A focus on soil health has the potential to transition European agriculture into a more sustainable, resilient, productive and economic system that is fit for the future,” highlights the analysis. 

“With this in mind, we used soil health as a proxy to conduct quantitative analysis of the estimated costs for taking up key sustainable agricultural practices that could deliver improvements.”

Preventing eroded soil health
Better soil health can also prevent the more devastating impacts of global extreme weather phenomena. 

For example, degraded, compacted soils are less able to absorb pollutants in the air, sequester carbon or absorb moisture, resulting in flooding, increased levels of air pollution and global warming. 

The report warns 61% of EU soil is currently deemed “unhealthy.”However, 61% of EU soil is currently deemed “unhealthy.” Each year, it is estimated that €1.25 billion (US$1.3 billion) is lost in European agricultural productivity due to soil erosion, outlines the FDE.

Farmers interviewed in the FDE report spoke about the growing impact of climate change on soil during the workshop stage of this paper, noting the increasingly unpredictable and extreme weather patterns across Europe.

The World Meteorological Organisation marked Europe as “the fastest warming continent of the world,” as temperatures hit some of the highest on record this year. Aside from aggravating landslides and soil erosion, extreme heat, cold, flooding and other weather patterns have caused yield loss and livestock mortality.

“With these challenges, farmers struggle to maintain current practices, let alone invest and experiment with new practices; the risks are very high,” stresses the FDE. “Farmers also said that maintaining soil organic matter was a big challenge linked to climate change.”

“This was particularly evident in more arid areas of Europe, where soaring temperatures have rendered the soil almost dust-like, losing all ability to retain water, further increasing the risk of soil erosion, flooding and nutrient run-off. It is a continuous vicious cycle that needs to be addressed further.”

Soil erosion is not the only concern at the center of environmental talks. Last month, a scientific study by Wageningen University in the Netherlands revealed findings about the longevity of “biodegradable” bioplastics in agricultural soils, contradicting industry standards. The research unearthed “serious questions about the biodegradability credentials of bio-based plastics.”

On the consumer-facing front, practices to improve soil health are beginning to appear more prominently in branding strategies, as the world’s first coffee with a “regenerative agriculture” label launched globally by the Italian brand Illy Caffè in partnership with the Cerrado Coffee Growers Federation last month.

By Benjamin Ferrer