Standing strong against hunger, the climate crisis and the extinction of species by keeping our soils healthy
14th Berlin Agriculture Ministers’ Conference adopts final communiqué: “Sustainable Land Use: Food Security Starts with the Soil”
Cem Özdemir, the German Federal Minister of Food and Agriculture, welcomed his colleagues from all over the world to the Global Forum for Food and Agriculture (GFFA), which, once again, took place digitally. This year’s conference focused on the role soils play in tackling the global challenges of our times. In their final communiqué, around 80 Agriculture Ministers as well as high-level representatives from international organisations came to the following joint conclusion*: healthy soils are key in order to ensure the availability of sufficient safe and nutritious food, to adapt to climate change, and to preserve biodiversity. The participants agreed on measures to significantly strengthen the sustainable use and management of our soils worldwide.
Cem Özdemir: “Healthy soils are our allies in combating global hunger, the climate crisis and the extinction of species. However, they are under pressure: they are severely affected by land sealing and soil degradation. It is, moreover, essential that farmers worldwide have access to land and are able to manage soils over the long term. We need to act now – and we need to act in global solidarity. We have agreed on an ambitious final communiqué. I am pleased that the world speaks with one voice today.”
Federal Minister Özdemir underlined that the Agriculture Ministers’ Conference had reached a common understanding on protecting and sustainably managing our limited soil resources worldwide. Soil degradation should be minimised and degraded soils should be restored. The Agriculture Ministers also emphasised the role of our soils as a carbon sink with regard to climate change mitigation. Furthermore, they aim to establish rules for equitable access to land. “Berlin is sending a clear signal today: we stand united against global hunger and in support of a sustainable agricultural sector that promotes climate stewardship,” said Özdemir.
Key aspects agreed upon by the 14th Berlin Agriculture Ministers’ Conference:
- Protecting our soils: Soil and land management must be sustainable and soil pollution must be reduced. Further soil degradation must be prevented. Soil information systems should be strengthened. Agri-ecological and other innovative approaches are to be supported. The positive impacts of sustainable pasture management on soil health are emphasised.
- Promoting climate change mitigation and adaptation: Healthy soils help climate change mitigation. Humus preservation and formation should be promoted, for example by adopting agricultural practices that sequester carbon and improve soil health. Greenhouse gas emissions from cultivated, drained peat soils should be reduced. The adaptation of agricultural systems to climate change should be improved.
- Preserving soil biodiversity to maintain healthy soils: The participants intend to advocate more strongly for the promotion of biodiversity in agricultural soils. Organic farming is considered beneficial to soil biodiversity. Nutrient management, including the application of fertilisers, should become more sustainable and efficient. The participants support the responsible use of pesticides and sustainable integrated pest management.
- Managing the earth’s limited land resources in a sustainable manner: Agricultural land should be protected. Soil and land degradation must be avoided. Degraded soils should, where feasible and appropriate, be restored. Soil sealing should be minimised. The goal of halting deforestation and the degradation of forests and other ecosystems by 2030 is reaffirmed. The participants intend to advocate for the development of sustainable agricultural supply chains.
- Granting equitable access to agricultural land: The Agriculture Ministers underline that rules for the acquisition and use of land are of major importance for safeguarding food security. Land acquisition must be in accordance with human rights and should take into consideration social and environmental impacts. The Agriculture Ministers support the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests issued by the Committee on World Food Security and will promote their implementation. They particularly emphasise that women, young farmers and indigenous peoples should have access to land.
The Global Forum for Food and Agriculture (GFFA) is a unique multilateral event for all stakeholders in the field of international agricultural and food policy. At this year’s 14th GFFA, the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture once again provided around 2,000 participants from politics, industry, science and civil society with a platform to discuss key questions related to the global food situation. As in the previous year, the GFFA was held as a purely virtual event due to the coronavirus pandemic.
*correction