Transforming Food Systems with Farmers: A Pathway for the EU

The report argues that transitioning the EU to climate-smart agriculture can significantly reduce emissions and improve soil health while increasing farmer profits, provided that systemic barriers—particularly economic viability and knowledge gaps—are addressed through coordinated public-private action.

• If an additional 20% of EU farmers adopted five specific climate-smart agriculture practices by 2030, the EU could reduce annual agricultural greenhouse gas emissions by 6%, improve soil health over 14% of agricultural land (21.3 million hectares), and increase farmer profits by between €1.9 billion and €9.3 billion annually.
• EU farming is economically precarious, with the average annual family farm income of €20,995 being nearly 60% lower than the average non-farming family income of €50,432. This economic strain limits the ability of farmers to invest in sustainable practices, as high upfront costs are the primary barrier to adoption.
• There is a strong correlation between the perceived economic benefit of a practice and its adoption rate; for every 10% increase in a farmer's perception of economic benefits, the adoption of that practice increases by 16%.
• Knowledge gaps are a major obstacle; while 70% of surveyed farmers have searched for information on climate-smart farming, only 25% report having 'good' or 'very good' knowledge of the subject.
• Digital climate-smart practices have a lower adoption rate (32%) compared to other climate-smart practices (45%), driven by a lack of knowledge and high costs, despite their potential to unlock new revenue streams through data-driven results-based schemes.
• The implementation of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) eco-schemes is fragmented across member states, creating market distortions. For example, a carrot farmer in Poland could receive up to nearly four times as much income per hectare from eco-schemes as a similar farmer in Spain.
• Farmers are currently ill-prepared for result-based carbon markets; although 50% express interest, only 3% are currently measuring soil organic carbon, which is a key requirement for measurement, reporting, and verification (MRV).
• A significant 'digital divide' exists between Western and Eastern Europe, with Western European farmers' climate-smart practice adoption rate (45%) being twice as high as that in Eastern Europe (21%).
• To accelerate the transition, the report argues that operational benefits must be supplemented by value-chain incentives (e.g., procurement guidelines, cheaper loans) and co-benefits revenues (e.g., carbon credits), which could reduce the payback period for climate-smart action by approximately seven years.

APA

World Economic Forum (2022). Transforming Food Systems with Farmers: A Pathway for the EU. https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Transforming_Food_Systems_with_Farmers_A_Pathway_for_the_EU_2022.pdf

Chicago

World Economic Forum. Transforming Food Systems with Farmers: A Pathway for the EU. 2022. https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Transforming_Food_Systems_with_Farmers_A_Pathway_for_the_EU_2022.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Economic Forum |title=Transforming Food Systems with Farmers: A Pathway for the EU |date=April 2022 |url=https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Transforming_Food_Systems_with_Farmers_A_Pathway_for_the_EU_2022.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldeconomicforum2022transforming, author = {{World Economic Forum}}, title = {{Transforming Food Systems with Farmers: A Pathway for the EU}}, institution = {World Economic Forum}, year = {2022}, month = apr, url = {https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Transforming_Food_Systems_with_Farmers_A_Pathway_for_the_EU_2022.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }