Sustainable agriculture – more ecologically sound food production

Agriculture is the basis of our diets. Arable and livestock farming provide us with food. In addition, agriculture produces renewable resources for use as material feedstock and for energy generation, and it generates employment. Every ninth job in Germany is directly or indirectly related to agriculture and the food industry.

Roughly half of our land area is under agricultural land use. This shapes the landscape and impacts on soils, biodiversity, air, groundwater and surface waters. Agricultural production is dependent on natural processes and is therefore particularly vulnerable to climate change; at the same time it also generates greenhouse gases.

With the end of the use of fossil resources, humankind will in future be more dependent on renewable resources. This makes it all the more important for these to be produced and utilised in a sustainable manner. Adapting production to our environment’s natural carrying capacities is therefore one of the great tasks of future-proofing the farming sector.