C 47/168
EN
Official Journal of the European Union
7.2.2023
Wednesday 6 July 2022
94.
Urges the Commission to support partner countries in developing sustainable agriculture practices, including agroecology, with the aim of enhancing soil fertility, maximizing biodiversity and improving water use efficiency as key elements for better food security; notes the challenges posed by climate change and biodiversity loss and its adverse impacts on food and nutrition security as well as the need to provide the necessary resources for climate change adaptation and mitigation;
95.
Notes that there are many agronomic and agro-ecological approaches that can benefit other climates and situations, such as mixing crops, ‘polycultures’, agro-forestry, including using leguminous trees which are especially good for providing shade and protection for other crops and animals, and attracting and/or increasing the cycling and/or retention of water;
96.
Points out that the destruction of rainforests lead to an irreversible loss of biodiversity and of carbon sinks, as well as of the homes and ways of life of indigenous communities living in the forests; recalls that forests contribute significantly to reaching climate targets, protecting biodiversity and preventing desertification and extreme soil erosion; considers that conservation efforts centred on, for example, forests, wildlife and marine and coastal ecosystems need to be stepped up by making use of regulatory frameworks, sufficient resources and scientific data and accompanied by ecosystem restoration and management actions;
97.
Calls for the link between public health and biodiversity in line with the ‘one health’ approach to be taken into account; urges the EU and all partner countries to recognise and protect indigenous people’s rights to customary ownership and control of their lands and natural resources as set out in the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People and International Labour Organization Convention 169, and to comply with the principle of free, prior and informed consent;
98.
Recalls that unsustainable agricultural intensification practises are major causes of biodiversity degradation worldwide, including genetic erosion of crop and livestock varieties; recalls that the Farm to Fork strategy aims to gradually reduce by 2030 the overall use and risk of chemical and hazardous pesticides from agriculture and promote alternative practises; stresses that poor countries are the recipients of an important part of hazardous substances; welcomes, therefore, the Commission’s intention to present a proposal to end this practice in the framework of the EU strategy on chemicals for sustainability; urges the Commission, however, to promote the search for sustainable and affordable alternatives to the use of these pesticides in order to avoid serious disruptions to food security in developing countries, which would aggravate hunger among the most vulnerable populations; calls for specific support for education and training in sustainable plant protection approaches and alternatives to pesticides as well as for the minimisation of exposure to hazardous substances;
99.
Denounces the EU’s double standards on pesticides, which allow the export from the EU of hazardous substances which are themselves banned in the EU; highlights that the use of some pesticides in intensive agriculture in developing countries have an impact on the health of workers, in addition to causing environmental damage; calls for education and training in sustainable plant protection, agro-ecological and organic practices;
100.
Recalls that recent reports have found that food systems are contributing to up to one-third of greenhouse gas emissions, up to 80 per cent of biodiversity loss and use up to 70 per cent of freshwater; underlines, however, that sustainable food production systems should be recognised as an essential solution to these existing challenges and that it is possible to feed a growing global population while protecting our planet;
101.
Calls for the EU to actively fulfil the commitments of the Nutrition Year of Action 2021, notably those arising from the UN Food Systems Summit and Nutrition for Growth Summit, and play a central role in cooperation with indigenous communities in these efforts, in line with its own Farm to Fork strategy; welcomes the European Commission's decision to be a major partner in eight coalitions from the UN Food Systems Summit;