Food for Europe

European Commission, Directorate General for Agriculture and Rural Development

Have you ever wondered how food in Europe is produced or where it comes from? ‘Food for Europe’ brings you stories, analysis, and in-depth interviews on agriculture, rural development, and the developments that are transforming the way we shop, eat and cultivate our precious, scattered farmland. Brought to you by the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development, the podcast will shed light on the most important European policies for food and agriculture and discuss the ambitions to become a greener and more sustainable Europe. © European Union, 2021

  1. Jul 30

    72. Düngemittel: Herausforderungen und Chancen für die europäische Landwirtschaft

    Um reichhaltige Ernten zu erzielen, müssen die Pflanzen mit den Nährstoffen versorgt werden, die sie benötigen. Derzeit stammen diese noch größtenteils aus industriellen Mineraldüngern. Doch der Preisanstieg, der insbesondere durch geopolitische Spannungen und steigende Energiekosten verursacht wurde, hat die Abhängigkeit der europäischen Landwirtschaft von diesen Betriebsmitteln deutlich gemacht. Wie lässt sich diese Abhängigkeit verringern, ohne die Ernten zu gefährden? Welche Alternativen können herkömmliche Düngemittel ergänzen? In der 72. Folge von „Nahrung für Europa“ beleuchten wir die Herausforderungen, denen sich die europäischen Landwirte gegenübersehen, aber auch die Lösungen, die sich abzeichnen, um ein widerstandsfähigeres Agrarsystem aufzubauen. In der irischen Grafschaft Clare berichten die Landwirte Declan O’Dwyer und Fergal Smith über die Folgen dieser Krise und schildern zwei sehr unterschiedliche Realitäten vor Ort. Wir treffen außerdem Jessica Fitch, Generalsekretärin von ECOFI, dem Europäischen Konsortium der biobasierten Düngemittelindustrie, die auf das Potenzial dieser Alternativen und die für ihre Entwicklung notwendigen Voraussetzungen eingeht. Schließlich erläutert Ionuţ Balaban von der Generaldirektion Landwirtschaft und ländliche Entwicklung der Europäischen Kommission, wie die Europäische Union die Widerstandsfähigkeit des Sektors stärken und dessen Abhängigkeit von industriellen Mineraldüngern verringern will.

    72. Düngemittel: Herausforderungen und Chancen für die europäische Landwirtschaft
  2. Jul 30

    72. Fertilisers: challenges and opportunities in European farming

    The cost of living has been a hot topic in politics for some time now, as has the financial cost of farming — and that’s undoubtedly because of the direct link between the two. One of the most unpredictable factors in agriculture is, of course, the weather. But in a period of global instability, conflict and supply chain disruptions, many farmers are now being hit by steep increases in the cost of inputs — fuel, for example, but especially fertiliser. Fertiliser is central to Europe’s food production and food security, and most of it is industrially manufactured. Because of that, farmers are often left with hard choices: use less of it, and have less produce to sell on the market, but use more of it, and pass on the costs to consumers — driving up the cost of living even more. In this 72nd episode of Food for Europe, we look at fertiliser through the lens of the challenges facing farmers, and the emergency measures being proposed to alleviate some of the stress our agriculture sector is facing. We visit County Clare in the west of Ireland to hear from farmers Declan O’Dwyer and Fergal Smith about their perspectives on the squeeze on incomes that the fertiliser price increase has produced. We talk to Jessica Fitch, secretary-general of ECOFI, the European Consortium of the Organic-Based Fertilisers Industry, about the alternatives to industrial fertilisers. And we hear from Ionuţ Balaban from the European Commission’s directorate-general for agriculture and rural development about the steps being taken to respond to the difficulties farmers are facing.

    72. Fertilisers: challenges and opportunities in European farming

About

Have you ever wondered how food in Europe is produced or where it comes from? ‘Food for Europe’ brings you stories, analysis, and in-depth interviews on agriculture, rural development, and the developments that are transforming the way we shop, eat and cultivate our precious, scattered farmland. Brought to you by the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development, the podcast will shed light on the most important European policies for food and agriculture and discuss the ambitions to become a greener and more sustainable Europe. © European Union, 2021

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