The reality of farming

Well fed

It is often forgotten in our well-fed corner of the world that a year-round supply of affordable, health-giving food is the mainstay of social stability and our quality of life. This means forward thinking food policies are imperative for Europeans as they come to address the food supply challenge ahead.

Simply put, we must find a way to produce more food to feed a growing population on the existing agricultural land base, while adapting to the impact of climate change, preserving biodiversity, reducing greenhouse gases, safeguarding the environment and staying within the narrowing limits of the public purse. That’s some challenge.

This is a challenge not only for farmers, but also for European legislators. Failure will pose a real threat to ordinary people’s lives. Human society is built on and based around agriculture and has been for some eight thousand years, this is a fact which urban dwellers - most of us - must occasionally be reminded. We can take comfort, however, that we have the agricultural technology and the know-how to help meet the challenge and produce the food we need: we just have to deploy it wisely and scientifically. Further advances will be essential over time.

Putting food on your plate

Growing top quality food is not an easy job for farmers. Since farming began, pests and diseases have been a farmer’s nightmare, destroying crops, poisoning food or making it inedible. In fact, there would be close to no agriculture without pest control. Farmers also have little to no control over the climate, or the soil and the geographic environment in which the crops are grown. However one element they can control is the pests and diseases that destroy or damage crops.

Early methods of pest control were not sufficient enough to prevent considerable food losses. Therefore, scientists sought more effective tools to protect crops. Research led to the creation of chemical pesticides. When used carefully, pesticides can help provide food that is healthy, affordable and available throughout the year.

Today, we expect to buy top quality food all year around, with preference to locally grown. To meet these expectations, farmers and the food chain work hard to grow, store and deliver enough food, while following strict EU laws on food safety, consumer and environmental protection.