How will the European Green Deal change agriculture in the Member States? How to feed an ever-growing world population without leading to a climate crisis? What is the potential for agriculture in new technologies? How to strengthen the position of farmers in the food system? How important is to improve the skills of employees in the agricultural sector? – these are just some of the questions that emerged during the debate “Green transformation of agriculture – what’s next?” organized by the Gdansk Institute for Market Economics and the European Commission Representation in Poland.
Debate participants:
Janusz Wojciechowski, EU Commissioner for Agriculture,
Małgorzata Bojańczyk, director, Polskie Stowarzyszenie Rolnictwa Zrównoważonego “ASAP”,
Bartosz Urbaniak, Head of Food & Agri Banking CEE & Africa, BNP Paribas,
Miłosz Szymański, host of the podcast “Głos Kongresu Obywatelskiego” (moderator of the debate).
The debate was organized as a part of the Civic Congress initiative on the occasion of the publication of the new issue of the Pomorski Thinkletter quarterly. The debate took place on November 18, 2022.
Partners of the Pomorski Thinkletter: the Marshal’s Office of the Pomorskie Voivodeship, the City of Gdańsk, the Pomeranian Development Fund, Maritex, Base Group, BNP Paribas Bank Polska, BIO-GEN, Nestlé, Goodvalley, Polska Federacja Producentów Żywności, Polskie Stowarzyszenie Rolnictwa Zrównoważonego “ASAP”, Fundacja na rzecz Rozwoju Polskiego Rolnictwa, Food Lex. Publisher: Gdansk Institute for Market Economics. Translation: Oskar Okwiet
Rafał Igielski, President of the Management Board and co-founder of Somigro, which develops microbiological analyzes for farmers, talks about the role of soil tests, which allows for more and more precise management of fertility.
Is it worth testing the soil? The short answer to this question is: it’s worth it, because the quality and health of crops begins in the soil. Of course, the reality is a little more complicated. In all crops, regardless of their type, the quality and size of the crop is determined by many factors. Some of them, such as the weather, are beyond our control. Others, such as the type of fertilizers used, the plant varieties cultivated or the practices carried out, can be controlled. Soil is a place where they all meet and can work beneficially. In extreme cases, unfortunately, some of these factors can lead to soil degradation and financial losses. The simplest soil chemical tests include periodic control of pH and macronutrients content. On this basis, liming is recommended or the dosage of mineral fertilizers is calculated. The results of even such simple tests lead to savings. Research on humus is becoming more and more popular, and the fact that its high content in the soil is important is probably already known to every farmer. However, we go one step further and study the activity of biological processes that improve the availability of minerals, regenerate the soil, improve plant immunity and contribute to better yield. Soil-dwelling microorganisms are at the focus of our research, as they carry out most of these processes.
What does soil testing look like in practice? When we founded SomiGRO nearly four years ago, we started with a review of publications, our own experience and research, and the fact that we knew about the existence of various research methods allowed us to choose the best ones. We also noticed that most farmers do not have access to them, and when they do, they rarely use them. Interpretation of the results which is difficult to apply in practice also turned out to be a problem. Fortunately, the soil microbiome, despite being very complicated, is also very well described in the literature. We spent the first two years developing our own methods and adapting them to the needs of the farmers we worked with and received invaluable guidance. It turned out that the scientific methods lacked the most important thing – usability. Now we are mainly focusing on this. Among other things, we have developed a test to assess the microbiological ability of the soil to make phosphorus available, in order to indicate recommendations for the use of bacterial preparations that have such bacteria in their formula. We are also looking for new solutions and we are constantly up to date with technological innovations. Thanks to this approach, we have introduced a very modern BIOTREX method to the Polish market, and soon another test will be available in our offer, this time based on DNA analysis of soil-dwelling microorganisms, but we could do a separate interview about it.
What is BIOTREX? BIOTREX is the name of a method developed in Japan. It is used to assess the biological quality of the soil and it is based on examining the activity and biodiversity of bacteria and fungi, i.e. the so-called soil microbiome. This sounds serious and puzzling, but it is based on very easily understandable principles. The better the microorganisms in the soil feel and work, the healthier and better it will be. In theory, the analysis itself is complex and based on checking the activity of all microorganisms isolated from the soil on a special plate containing 95 different chemical compounds, similar to those we can find in the field. The test itself lasts two days, it is over 18,000 measurements. This amount of measurements delivers extraordinary accuracy of the test and allows us to present the result in the form of a single number. A group of really brilliant scientists from Japan developed this whole process and created a scale of biological soil quality, which we easily use in soil research in Poland and all Europe. We are now testing the impact of products available on the Polish market that regenerate soil and increase its biodiversity. We also tested several dozen different kinds of compost, and it turned out that they differ dramatically in the way they affect the soil. Simply speaking, every compost is different. We conduct research in orchards, fields and wherever man affects the soil. Thanks to this, we can very precisely assess the state of the microbiome in the soil and its fertility. It is a universal biological indicator. Over the past six months, we have focused on comparing different farming systems and confirmed the beneficial effects of sustainable farming practices on soil and its regeneration.
Can you tell us more about the impact of sustainability on agriculture? There is a lot of talk in Europe about regenerative agriculture and meanwhile Polish farmers have been using many regenerative practices for a long time. These include, among others, leaving post-harvest residues on field, appropriate crop rotation, shallow plowing. A lot of information on this subject is in the “ASAP” materials and they fall within the scope of sustainable farming practices. The same solutions can be called in many ways – many of the sustainable farming practices can be found in the Ecoschema documentation under the heading “carbon farming”. For the sake of clarity, all practices that favor the restoration of soil structure and biodiversity, the increase of the amount of humus and improvement of soil fertility can be classified to the same group. Many experienced farmers know how to take care of the soil and use the help of nature to save money and enjoy high yields.
Unfortunately, the vast majority of farmers in Europe suffer from problems caused by soil degradation, in particular by soil depletion and loss of biological potential. Microorganisms are the first to react to changes. The declining soil quality also means a decrease in the diversity and activity of microorganisms. The processes occurring in the soil slow down, and the only way to restore the balance in the soil is through regeneration. By performing a microbiological test, we can check whether the field is maintained in good condition or whether it needs corrective actions. Sometimes it is enough to introduce single modifications, such as appropriate crop rotation, leaving straw on field or administering a preparation that improves the decomposition of organic residues. In other cases, it is necessary to reach for whole sets of solutions, choosing appropriate sources of microorganisms and products supporting their activity, such as compost, after-harvest mushroom growing medium, targeted biopreparations and biostimulants. To evaluate the effectiveness of sustainable practices, soil testing, preferably biological, is necessary. It should be strongly emphasized here that it is impossible to improve something that is not measured and not known.
What is the ability of soil to bind greenhouse gases? Life in the soil is based on carbon. The entire carbon cycle in an ecosystem is very complex. Fortunately, it is easy to observe – for example, in a field where crop residues left behind are slowly decomposing. The fertile soil is dark because of the carbon content, and more precisely – because of organic matter which can be called living matter. The sand in the desert is largely dead, carbon-free, and bright. So how do you get more carbon into the soil? Using the natural processes that occur in this soil. Plants bind carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, because carbon from this molecule is needed to build tissues, i.e. for growth. Plant residues left in the field contain bound carbon – soil microorganisms are necessary to introduce it into the soil. They carry out the process of transforming carbon compounds called humification, as a result of which humus is formed, organic matter responsible for soil fertility. Let us add that soil microorganisms stimulate plants to grow, thus resulting a higher yield. And higher yields mean that more carbon dioxide has been taken up from the atmosphere and incorporated into plant biomass. Leaving crop residues on the field is already a double profit, because more carbon will be bound in the soil in the form of humus. It is clear that if we act to prevent soil degradation we will also increase its ability to store carbon. Carbon farming is simply an optimization that aims to deliver the most benefit to the farmer and the planet. In our opinion, the development of carbon farming requires support for farmers in understanding and choosing beneficial and effective solutions. Regardless of the future of support systems, for example in the form of carbon credits, carbon farming itself is an opportunity, even if we adopt a different nomenclature – regenerative, sustainable. This is the same thing. It should result in stopping soil degradation and thus ensure profitable management and food security for future generations.
What impact will the implementation of the principles of the European Green Deal have on agriculture in the context of the need to reduce the use of plant protection products or fertilizers? The Common Agricultural Policy forces the introduction of radical changes, but they do not have to be as severe for Polish farmers as it may seem. Firstly, our soils are not as heavily degraded as in many other regions of Europe. It is a mistake to assess soil fertility only on the basis of humus content and to compare these results to farmers from the Netherlands, the USA or Ukraine. Soils with a very low humus content will not necessarily be the most degraded, it is more about the optimal content of organic matter for the given conditions. It is true that soil degradation as a result of intensive agriculture is progressing and is very difficult to reverse. There is no product that can fix years of neglect and harmful practices in two seasons. We can recall here the problem of desertification of some cultivated areas in the region of Greater Poland, which is a really extreme case. Therefore, the effects of drought are more severe, because the decreasing content of humus in the soil reduces the amount of stored water. We also know that the loss of humus is related with the loss of life in the soil. The European Commission has created a legal framework to counteract these changes and introduce a number of improvements that regenerate overused soil. Unfortunately, although legal regulations are radical, tools and solutions that would help implement them are created slowly. Ecoschemes are one such solution, but we know from the farmers themselves that they are far from ideal in their current form. Of course, the rationalization of fertilization and the use of pesticides promotes soil regeneration, but not in every field the same solutions can be proposed. Reducing the dose of fertilizer requires the supply of a natural equivalent of minerals. To maintain the same yields, it will be necessary to ensure that the necessary nutrients are available to the plants. Fortunately, soil microorganisms are very good at this. This really means that conventional agriculture will have to give way to sustainable agriculture to a large extent.
Next year, we will start work on developing a fertilization optimization model based on the BIOTREX microbiological activity tests. Until the end of February 2023, we are recruiting people willing to participate in the farming program. We assume that in some cases it will be possible to reduce fertilization by up to 20% without reducing the crop. The greater the activity and biodiversity in the soil, the higher the efficiency and stability of the ecosystem. And so we return to the European Green Deal, the principles of which support the restoration of life in the soil. As you can see, the next decade is the decade of agricultural biology, and we will support Polish farmers as much as we can.
The Polish Association of Sustainable Agriculture (ASAP) has conducted a study of companies from the agri-food sector and identified a group of Polish “leaders” – defined as companies where sustainable development forms an integral part of their organization and investment priorities.
The study commissioned by ASAP and undertaken in collaboration with Accenture titled; “A turning point in the food industry. How sustainable development allows you to build business resilience in unstable times,” found that companies that had implemented a sustainable development strategy recorded an increase in operating profit by three times more than those companies that didn’t. The study also found half (50%) of the respondents are at the beginning of their journey, however, had started implementing certain measures, such as sustainable investing strategies.
“Leaders” set an example In “leaders’” supply chains, the impact of activities on the climate, environment, society, and economy is recognized as important. “Leaders” value local action, adhere to standards, and se certificates. They developed an investment strategy to optimize and use all the resources of the organization. The financial and accounting departments have the greatest influence on whether the company develops in a sustainable manner, according to 75.5% of the surveyed managers. To achieve the goals related to sustainable development, companies will mainly invest in human development, e.g., through training (every third organization).
According to the study, 68% of “leaders” said that they are able to largely manage their reduction in greenhouse gas emissions (in energy production for their own needs), compared with 21% of “latecomers”. In the supply chain (from the energy purchase, through the tracking of the carbon footprint), the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions is largely effectively monitored by 64% and 14%, respectively.
In addition, “Leaders” are more likely to actively collect organizational data in one place and use the analytics to build the solution’s potential. All the surveyed companies reported that automation and digitization of processes as commonly used technology (over 81% of responses in each of the groups). In contrast, 30% of leaders and 9% of laggards use cloud computing as an impulse for technological improvements and innovation that can support the goals of sustainable development. The data is analyzed by 88% and 70% of them, respectively.
In the supply chain, “leaders” source sustainable raw materials, take responsibility for the development and transformation of suppliers, verify how sustainable they are, and use the certification themselves. Three-quarters (74%) check the standards of their suppliers. More than one-third (35%) of the “latecomers” work in a similar way. It is worth emphasizing that almost half (49%) of “lagging behind” companies did not introduce any formal procedures or environmental/social mechanisms when selecting suppliers.
“Leaders” pay attention to packaging. Almost 47% of them pack their products in packaging, where recycled plastic accounts for 20-40%, and one in five has packaging with a recycled plastic content of 40-60%. This is a huge difference from the results of latecomers who use such packaging 15% and 5% of the time, respectively. Leaders much more often than latecomers use glass and paper packaging. This is respectively: 42% compared to 12% and 52% compared to 21%.
Polish “leaders” support the implementation and development of activities for sustainable development by being active in associations – the presence in them is the most important element for 76% of companies and, interestingly, for 63% of “latecomers”.
A chance, not a necessity The study shows that sustainable development can protect companies against disrupted supply chains or with the chance to build financial resilience and stable, long-term growth.
Companies that are just taking their first steps towards achieving the goals of sustainable development should use the already developed good practices of leaders. A well-planned strategy of sustainable development, conscious employees and managers as well as the consistent pursuit of the goal will bring the company tangible benefits. This is the moment to say straightforward – who still perceives sustainable development as an expense, not an investment, a necessity rather than an opportunity, may lose a lot.
– says Małgorzata Bojańczyk, Director of the Polish Association of Sustainable Agriculture “ASAP”.
Companies that have not yet prepared for the upcoming changes should get acquainted with the upcoming EU regulations as soon as possible. It is worth taking advantage of the knowledge of industry associations and external experts. In the difficult market environment in which companies operate today, it is positive that many respondents are beginning to understand that sustainable development activities can bring savings and even profit. Therefore, companies do not have to perceive this area as an expense, but as an investment.
– adds Małgorzata Bojańczyk.
Krzysztof Ślęczka, who leads the Consumer Goods & Services practice at Accenture in Poland said:
By making sustainability a force for change and using the right technology and business practices, agri-food organizations have an opportunity to transform how they do business, achieve sustainability goals and ultimately create greater business value and impact.
One of the main activities of the Farm to Fork Strategy under the European Green Deal is the Framework Initiative for the Sustainable Food System (SFS). The Polish Association of Sustainable Agriculture “ASAP” took part in public consultations conducted by the European Commission and provided its opinion on the proposed solutions.
The aim of the SFS is to promote the sustainable EU food system and integrate the principles of sustainable development into all aspects of food-related policies. The initiative aims to develop a horizontal legal framework for a sustainable food system and to define general principles, objectives and obligations for participants in the EU food system. As announced in the strategy, the proposal on the SFS legal framework will be adopted by the Commission by the end of 2023.
The initiative was publicly consulted at the EU level. The results of the consultation will be taken into account in further work on the initiative and used in the risk assessment carried out by the European Commission.
According to “ASAP”, the initiative should be supported, as is the case with organic farming and food, by the preparation by the EC of an appropriate action plan for sustainable agriculture and sustainable food.
The most important elements that should be included in the initiative:
A pan-European definition of sustainable agriculture, taking into account market standards for sustainable agricultural practices that have already been developed and applied in practice.
Currently, there is no single definition of sustainable agriculture on the market, which makes it difficult to distinguish it from organic and conventional farming. The models available on the market (e.g. Farm Sustainability Assessment) were largely shaped by the market participants themselves and fully correspond to the principles of the European Green Deal and the interventions of the Polish Strategic Plan – such as eco-schemes or investments supporting the climate and the environment.
Work on the definition of sustainable agriculture should include definitions already developed by agricultural organizations and agri-food market participants:
Definition created by the Polish Association of Sustainable Agriculture “ASAP”: “Sustainable agriculture is all activities limiting the impact of agriculture on the environment, enabling more efficient and environmentally friendly use of resources, e.g. soil, land, water, machinery, plant protection products, seeds, fertilizers or energy, while maintaining the profitability of agricultural production and its social acceptance.”
A definition developed with industrial organizations regarding sustainable livestock production: “Sustainable livestock production is low-emission production, taking into account the improvement of animal welfare, reducing the use of antibiotics and ensuring the economic resilience of farms.”
A list of market standards currently used by all participants in the food responsibility chain, e.g.
Farm Sustainability Assessment (FSA)
GLOBALG.A.P (with FSA appendix)
Quality Assurance for Food Products
A list of agricultural practices considered sustainable, e.g.
Ensuring the financial stability of the farm
Optimal selection of cultivated plants and proper sowing
Crop rotation to enhance soil biodiversity
Building soil fertility by increasing the content of humus
Fertilization of plants based on fertilizer balance
Compliance with the principles of integrated pest management
Effective use of water resources
Possibly long maintenance of the soil under the plant cover
Supporting biodiversity on the farm and its surroundings
Ensuring animal welfare
Using a plow-free cultivation system
Striving to reduce greenhouse gas emissions
Proper waste management
Compliance with the law
Taking care of employees, their rights and safety on the farm
Taking actions for the social acceptance of agriculture
Guidelines for clear labeling of sustainable products that come from sustainable farming and breeding.
Why is it important?
In order to ensure EU food security, integral to environment and climate protection, sustainable agriculture strengthens the resilience of the agricultural sector and optimizes agricultural production in the long term without compromising food production.
The good fit of sustainable agriculture to the needs of farmers is evidenced by the fact that many of them have already implemented sustainable farming practices on their farms. Similarly, European and Polish consumers expect sustainable food products to be available in stores – this is indicated by the report “Sustainable food in Poland” published by the company Accenture and the Polish Association of Sustainable Agriculture “ASAP” in June 2021. According to the results of the study conducted for the purposes of this report – 76% of Poles believe that food producers should use raw materials from sustainable agriculture, and 82% would like to have the sustainable agriculture products available and visible in stores.
Organic production plays an important role in the transformation of the sustainable food system, but the scale of organic production does not correspond to the ever-growing global demand for food. Sustainable agriculture provides the opportunity to produce food on a larger scale and to specialize it while respecting the climate and the environment. The sustainable production model is also economically viable for the farmers themselves. Due to the economic, environmental and climatic benefits of sustainable agriculture, it should be supported by the EU Action Plan. The requirements of sustainable agriculture can be met by far more farmers in Poland and throughout Europe than those for organic farming. As a result, the environmental and climate benefits will be enhanced by supporting this model of agriculture as well, and not just organic farming.
According to “ASAP”, defining and supporting the sustainable agriculture model at the level of creating a legal framework for a sustainable food system is crucial in achieving the objectives of the European Green Deal and securing agricultural productivity, especially bearing in mind the crisis related to the war in Ukraine.
Find out more about the EU initiative for Sustainable Food System on this page.
