EU CAP Network Seminar ‘Smart circular farming to address high energy and fertiliser prices’

Event description and objectives

In response to the impacts of the climate crisis and, more recently, the economic consequences and disruptions to food supply due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia’s war in Ukraine, the prices for agricultural inputs and products have been driven upward. This contributes to the increased vulnerability of food systems and threatens food security in the long term. Trade disruptions, transportation costs and uncertainties regarding global agricultural markets highlight the dependency on agricultural inputs and commodities. Uncertainties related to energy and fertiliser exports from Russia in particular are putting severe pressure on agriculture and food production in Europe.

The current crisis underlines the urgency of efficient and sustainable use of energy and fertilisers to ensure farm resilience, competitiveness and food security during times of high-priced inputs. Innovative solutions are necessary in order to overcome the current deficits in energy availability and the availability of affordable and sustainable fertilisers. These solutions need to focus on using local resources efficiently, reducing input requirements for production and recycling agricultural wastes and by-products. This would create a more circular approach, with great benefits for the rural economy and ensure a transition towards more sustainable ways of food production.

Knowledge and innovation are essential components in lowering consumption of increasingly scarce resources. Collaboration across sectors and among different stakeholders are key to bringing sustainable solutions from the lab to the ground. The increased availability of data and its use through ICT, IOT, predictive tools and precision technologies can allow resources to be targeted in a more effective and efficient way.