Project
Organic Targets 4 EU

The European Union aims to become climate neutral by 2050 and halt species extinction, biodiversity loss and environmental degradation through the European Green Deal. The Farm to Fork Strategy and the Biodiversity Strategy are at the heart of this Green Deal. Both the Farm to Fork Strategy and the Biodiversity Strategy recognize the positive role of organic agriculture in achieving these goals. As a result, the goal is to have at least 25 percent of the EU's farmland managed organically by 2030 and also to significantly increase organic aquaculture.

OrganicTargets4EU (OT4EU) will first assess the drivers and barriers affecting organic sector development. In addition, farms in each country will be categorized. Based on this, a multi-actor process will then be used to develop scenarios for achieving the organic farming goals from the Farm to Fork strategy and so-called "Future Farm Types".

The project is divided into two fields: Production and markets on the one hand; and knowledge and innovation on the other hand. Through and in these fields, OT4EU promotes the expansion of organic farmland in the EU. In addition, the project analyses what (socio-economic) impact this has on primary production, value chains and markets. Building on the CORE Organic network (a network of European ministries and research institutions), the project expands and coordinates the research and innovation infrastructure for organic agriculture. The project also promotes policy dialogue between different stakeholders to make policy recommendations for, among others, the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), the EU Organic Regulation, the EU and national organic action plans, and Horizon Europe.

The project is carried out together with 19 partners from 12 countries. Within the project, Naturland contributes knowledge from practical experiences in Germany and is primarily responsible for researching drivers and obstacles in organic agriculture at the producer level.

Duration: 2022-2025 (3.5 years)