The 2021 EU Agricultural Outlook Conference – A transition towards more resilient and sustainable agrifood systems

The European Commission’s Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development (DG AGRI) organized the 2021 edition of the EU Agricultural Outlook Conference with the theme ‘Fit for 2030 – resilient EU agrifood systems and rural areas’. During the two-day event, senior representatives from the European Union international organizations, farmers, agricultural experts and rural actors came together to discuss the future of agriculture in Europe and beyond, as well as challenges that lie ahead.  

This year's edition examined the perspectives of the global agricultural market by 2030 against the backdrop of the political and market uncertainty in the agricultural sector. The conference touched upon the resilience of agrifood systems in light of the COVID-19 pandemic and the role of the new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) in underpinning the green transition efforts.  

European Commissioner for Agriculture Janusz Wojciechowski and European Commission Vice President for Democracy and Demography Dubravka Šuica opened the discussions by highlighting the importance of making stronger efforts to transform Europe’s agrifood systems and rural areas, so that they are resilient and ‘fit for 2030’. The EU’s new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) formally adopted in December 2021 aims to set new standards for environmental and social sustainability and enable farmers to master future changes.  

FAO Deputy Director-General Beth Bechdol joined the panel discussion that presented the Medium-term EU Agricultural Outlook 2021–31 report. Together with Tassos Haniotis, acting Deputy Director General at DG AGRI, she explored current trends, lessons learned and future perspectives in the agrifood sector.  

By outlining global agricultural perspectives, Bechdol explained that, according to projections, the coming decades will feature a challenging evolution of diets if current production and consumption patterns persist. She reaffirmed FAO’s determination to work with all members, partners and stakeholders to transform agrifood systems, in order to achieve better production, better nutrition, a better environment and ultimately a better life for all, ensuring that no one is left behind. 

Concluding the session, Haniotis called on farmers to be as economically and environmentally efficient as possible. He highlighted technology, innovation, digital transition and a shift towards healthier diets as key factors in overturning current undesirable trends.  

The EU Agricultural Outlook conference takes place annually and became a referenced fora for stakeholders’ exchanges on market prospects in agriculture. FAO is one of the traditional partners of the event providing global perspectives and trends driving food and agricultural markets based on the OECD-FAO Agricultural Outlook report. This is one of the major collaborative flagship publications that present an assessment of the prospects of national, regional and global agricultural commodity markets over the coming decades.