EU farming union Copa and Cogeca has welcomed the release of the European Union’s climate change adaptation strategy.

Copa and Cogeca highlighted five points of interest in the EU’s newly-released policy. Copa and Cogeca support the strategy’s objective to develop a certification mechanism for carbon removals, to advance the carbon farming initiative announced under the European Green Deal. Copa and Cogeca regard the development of a carbon market for market-based carbon crediting schemes as the long-term viable solution to ensure the environmental and economic pillars of sustainability.

One of the key pillars of climate change adaptation in farming is to enhance crop resilience, where New Breeding Techniques provide a wide palette of solutions. Copa and Cogeca support the strategy’s objectives on enabling a legislative environment for plant seed and propagating materials.

Water scarcity is a grave result of climate change in a growing number of European regions and creates augmenting challenges for food producers. Precision agricultural technologies are key for the better and tailor-made use of water resources in food production. Through the Common Agricultural Policy and other policy means, the right toolkit and enabling financial environment on precision farming has a vital role in supporting the transition to a more sustainable food production.

Besides agriculture, forestry plays a key role in nature-based solutions: adaptation shall work in synergies with measures in the forestry sector, mirrored in the forthcoming EU Forest Strategy.

Rapid adaptation solutions in the nature-based sectors are necessary, based on solid research innovation supported by the Horizon Europe Programme. Copa and Cogeca especially welcome the Strategy’s strong emphasis for international cooperation, building on the commitments under the Paris Agreement to halt global warming without compromising food-security