Unlocking solutions for EU farmers in a changing climate

In the European Union, 17 million farmers provide safe, healthy and affordable food to 450 million people. These farmers not only grow crops or raise livestock, but also play a role in preserving biodiversity and mitigating the consequences of a changing climate. To do this, EU farmers today must be highly knowledgeable, leveraging expertise in topics such as soil science, weather patterns, market trends, and emerging technologies. 

And yet, we live in a paradox where our food systems are part of the problem: They create nearly one-third of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. These same systems also often fail to provide fair wages for the very people who feed us. Since the early 2000s, the EU has put into effect various directives to protect nature and to reduce agricultural emissions. One such framework is the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). CAP is meant to support farmers and promote sustainable agriculture across member states through providing subsidies, boosting rural development, and aligning agricultural practices with environmental and climate goals. Despite these efforts, progress has been slow. Over two decades, EU member states have reduced agricultural emissions by only 10 per cent, with 80 per cent of farm subsidies still supporting carbon-intensive animal products. 

Support and tools for EU farmers 

The need for new, regenerative agricultural practices is more pressing than ever. They offer a pathway to restore soil health, enhance ecosystem resilience, and reduce carbon footprints while maintaining livelihoods. For farmers to fully embrace these practices, access to the right tools, training, and support is essential. That’s why projects like ClieNFarms, Climate Farm Demo, and our agri-food work in Ireland offer farmers the opportunity to both mitigate and adapt to climate change, as well as lead in the transition to a more sustainable future. 

ClieNFarms Scaling Toolbox 

The Scaling Toolbox is a guide for how to push agricultural practices towards sustainability, soil health, and ecosystem regeneration. The Toolbox is a collection of open-source resources to help farmers transition from conventional to regenerative agriculture, and includes books, podcasts, tools, case studies, and inspiring people. It provides a comprehensive set of solutions and tools tailored to different actors involved in the agriculture sector. Each actor is offered specific resources to help them scale sustainable farming practices, whether it be policy changes, funding, implementing nature-based solutions, education and training, or directly adopting sustainable practices on farms.  

The goal of this Toolbox is to support the widespread adoption and scaling of climate-resilient and climate-neutral farming across Europe and beyond. 

The Visual Learner version of the Toolbox is also available here. 

The Cool Farm Tool 

Say you’re a farmer that wants to quickly see the progress your farm is making in adopting sustainable practices. The Cool Farm Tool does just that. It is one of the world’s most popular tools to accurately measure your carbon footprint, water usage and biodiversity, online. The tool helps to uncover a farm’s emission “hotspots” and sustainability footprint and identify areas for improvement. By running “what-if” scenarios, farmers can explore mitigation strategies, make informed decisions, demonstrate their progress and share evidence of sustainable practices and positive changes over time. 

 
ClieNFarms Climate Solutions  

The ClieNFarms project has also put together a Catalogue of Climate Solutions tailored to various agricultural systems in Europe and beyond. These solutions are designed to help farmers adopt sustainable methods that enhance climate neutrality and resilience. It provides information on practices and technologies aimed at reducing the climate impact of dairy cattle, pigs, beef cattle, arable crops, sheep, and perennial crops.  

Below are two examples from the catalogue. 

Soil management 

The catalogue offers detailed strategies for sustainable soil management, spotlighting practices like incorporating crop residues and reducing soil tillage. These approaches not only boost soil health and promote carbon storage but also allow farmers to embrace climate-resilient practices for a more sustainable future. 

Pesticides 

The catalogue provides guidance on sustainable fertilisation practices aimed at reducing emissions and improving soil health. It highlights methods such as adapting fertiliser application techniques, using organic fertilisers, and applying low-emission fertilisers. These practices help enhance the climate resilience and sustainability of perennial crop farming. 

Beyond the farm 

Regenerative tools and practices for farmers is just the beginning to achieve a future where agriculture supports our environment. We also need action from policymakers and politicians. We need supportive policies, investment in research, and incentives for sustainable farming to accelerate this transition. Together, a sustainable food system that nurtures both people and the planet can be accomplished. 
 
Stay tuned for the last post in our Farming for the future series. You can read the first article in this series about ClieNFarms and the role of agriculture in combating climate change by clicking the button below.  

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This series is part of EIT Climate-KIC’s #FoodFutures campaign, which showcases how we are supporting key players across the food sector in transitioning to sustainable practices. Through this campaign, we capture real-world stories and lessons from our demonstration projects in Europe and beyond, to illustrate what systemic change looks like on the ground. Our goal is to highlight the transformative potential when farmers, policymakers, and industries collaborate to address the food system crisis. By connecting the dots between sustainable farming models, bridging urban-rural divides, and supporting agritech innovators, we aim to accelerate the shift toward a healthier, more resilient food system for all.