Villit puheet

As mentioned "Rethinking agriculture" one of the most relevant aspects is to change the paradigm, especially regarding the short term goal centred in efficacy and profit. I 100% agree to support a variety of "environmental-friendly practices (from permaculture to agrofestry), multifunctional landscapes (in the country side and in urban landscapes) and localism. Furthermore, I think, it is important:
-to create knowledge and expertise participative networks and make them much more visible: connect and learn from good practices for small and medium farmers.
- to support "commons" as well as "cooperative"-like structures (financially but also with educational programmes, such as ERASMUS+) to empower them and privide them with more tools and structures.
- to create sinergies with other areas of EU wellbeing and ecosystem health such as formal and non-formal education (more free and supported programmes on a socio-ecological friendly agriculture), and health and nutrition literacy.

-Landsparing (for diversity protection) is possible also via agroforestry, but also if more gree (from micro to macro) is left in other areas: streets, the whole comple and surfaces of urban landscapes and peripheries, facades. Although urban agriculture will not solve the problem, it is quite important, because it "communicates" literacies and nurture our social tissue (ediblecitiesnetwork
-Regarding the interlink between agriculture and economy: agriculture is basis for the production of healthy nutrition. Thus an agriculture taht it is not environmental friendly is detrimental for EU citizens (and planet) health, i.e. thinking economically: it also causes diseases from overweight to respiratory and hormonal diseases.
In this sense ecological friendly practices and products must have lower taxes or be free of them, since on the long term, they contribute to healthy societies. Just think about of the millions of euros invested by EU to reasearch diabetes of children and young people.

Permaculture integrates diverse plants and animals, mimicking natural ecosystems, and enhancing resilience and productivity. Sustainable practices like crop rotation, agroforestry, and organic farming improve soil health and biodiversity while reducing environmental harm. For example, diverse plantings in permaculture systems can be over ten times more productive than monocultures.

To facilitate this transition, substantial investment and policy support are necessary. The European Union can lead by redirecting agricultural subsidies towards sustainable practices, enforcing stricter environmental regulations, and promoting fair labor standards. Countries like Denmark and the Netherlands have already seen success through stringent nutrient management and agricultural innovation.

By prioritizing sustainable agriculture, the EU can set a global example, promoting healthier food systems, protecting the environment, and ensuring social equity.

Large agribusinesses often argue that high-yield, intensive farming methods are essential to meet global food demand. They insist that sustainable agricultural practices are unviable and will lead to food shortages when compared to is a contested and multifaceted issue. While there are valid concerns about yield and scalability in certain contexts, extensive scientific and empirical evidence suggests that with the right support, sustainable agriculture can provide sufficient food while preserving biodiversity. Overcoming these challenges necessitates a holistic approach that includes policy reforms, market access, technological innovation, and global cooperation. By addressing these factors, it is possible to achieve a balance between food security and biodiversity conservation, ensuring a sustainable and equitable future for all.

Restoration of natural habitats, resielient food production, soil degradation monitoring, and sustainable practices, less pesticides, restoration of marine habitats, wetlands, as natural restoration protects agains natural biodiversity loss. Climate change impacts such as extreme flooding, heatwaves, forest fires and storms can lead to biodiversity loss. As proposed measures is to improve the areas of forests and natural area, wetlands, peatlands, seagrass improved marine areas, as maeasures for carbon capture and sequastation, towards long-term carbon neutrality gials, improved and mitigated climate change effects and natural restoration.