The French think tank IDDRI (Institut du Développement Durable et des Relations Internationales) have published an evaluation of the potential for a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture in their scenario of a transition of European agriculture to agroecology by 2050 (Ten Years For Agroecology – TYFA). Emission reductions range from 40% to 47%, while important benefits for biodiversity, natural resources, adaptation, and health are highlighted.
Eric Gall, Policy Manager at IFOAM EU, said: “The Ten Years For Agroecology prospective scenario is a ground-breaking exercise as it shows how a full conversion of European agriculture to organic farming could contribute to climate change mitigation, while preserving our natural resources and protecting biodiversity. It is crucial that prospective and policy debates on how to decarbonise the agricultural sector better integrate biodiversity and soil health issues and consider the need to phase out the use of pesticides. The organic food and farming movement is fully committed to using agroecological principles to make agriculture part of the solution for preserving our climate.”
The studyAgroecology and carbon neutrality in Europe by 2050: what are the issues?, written by Pierre-Marie Aubert, Marie-Hélène Schwoob (IDDRI) and Xavier Poux (AScA, IDDRI), states:
The latest IPCC special report sets the objective of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050, 2070 at the latest if we want to keep global warming below 2°C. The sustainable intensification of agricultural production, in a land sparing logic, is most often considered as a necessary step to achieve this. In this context, this brief question, in the case of Europe, the potential contribution of a more extensive agro-ecological food system based rather on a land sharing approach. It is based on a comparison of the TYFA-Ten Years For Agroecology in Europe scenario with the agricultural component of recently published scenarios reaching carbon neutrality by 2050, through the development of a multi-criteria dashboard. The objective of mitigation is put in perspective with other key challenges associated to food system functioning: human health, conservation of natural resources and biodiversity, and adaptation to climate change.
