An external strategy for European agriculture

The worrying prospect of having 9 billion inhabitants on earth in 2050 and the environmental challenges related to growing demands for food, fuel and fibre put agriculture under scrutiny at the global level. Agriculture must play a key role in poor countries to provide sufficient and affordable food for poor populations. At the same time, growing concerns have emerged regarding the serious consequences conventional farming systems may have on the planet’s ability to satisfy basic needs in the medium term. This paper explores how the EU currently deals with two different major global challenges: insuring food security and the promotion of environmental commitments. This overview suggests that greater coherence between EU policies and actors would help Europeans develop a unified strategic approach to cope with these challenges more efficiently.