EU Commissioner Wojciechowski on a sustainable agriculture in Europe and worldwide

Honourable Rector, Dr. Satria,
Minister Counsellor Joostens,
Respected staff and students of the University,
Ladies and gentlemen,

It is my great pleasure to address you today. I would like to thank the honourable Rector, Dr. SATRIA for his warm welcome, and for our very interesting discussion this afternoon.

Indeed, I have enjoyed a very interesting visit to Indonesia so far, and I am deeply grateful to be here.

• I am grateful for the opportunity to meet with Indonesian authorities and representatives, and for the good reception given to our agri-business delegation;
• I am also grateful for the opportunity to acknowledge the work of Indonesian farmers: to thank them for the vital contribution they make to food security in this region, and across the world.
• Finally, I am grateful to be here, at this prestigious University, to learn more about the interesting and important work you are doing.

In our current time, it is crucial to learn from each other; to discover more about our different systems of agriculture, but also to discover what we have in common: our shared approaches, values, and objectives.

With this in mind, I would like to share some insights about the work we are doing in the European Union and with our international partners, including Indonesia.

Afterwards, I will be grateful to hear your comments and perspectives.

Looking for solutions to our challenges

To begin, over recent years, the challenges faced by global food systems have grown in size:

• Here, I talk about climate change, the degradation of natural resources, and the decline in biodiversity;
• I talk about the challenge of global food security; of ensuring an adequate supply of healthy and affordable food for growing populations;
• And I talk about the challenge of securing the economic viability of family farms across the world;

While challenges like these are significant, I believe that solutions can be found – if we look in the right places.

Look to ourselves – EU policy approaches

First of all, we must look to ourselves. Each of us has a role and a responsibility in the global food system.

In the European Union, we recently reformed our Common Agricultural Policy, with the aim of strengthening the sustainability, productivity, and resilience of our farming sector.

Under the policy, each member state of the European Union has designed a national strategic plan to contribute to these shared objectives.

Here, I would like  to highlight the environmental, economic and social dimensions, with specific examples that may be interesting for Indonesia.

Environmental sustainabilty

Firstly, strengthening our environmental sustainability: one third of our CAP budget is being used to help farmers deliver specific benefits for the climate and natural resources, for biodiversity and animal welfare.

We have developed a new stream of funding, eco-schemes, to incentivise these actions.

For example,

• In my home country of Poland, we have an eco-scheme that supports farmers to improve living conditions for livestock.
• In Spain, there is an eco-scheme for sustainable grazing and mowing practices, to reduce soil degradation and improve biodiversity.

I would also like to highlight the work we are doing in our Organic Action Plan.

Over the past 10 years, we have increased our total organic farming area from 9.5 million hectares to 17 million hectares.

This has been driven by targeted support in our Common Agricultural Policy, which enables farmers to convert to organic systems, and to maintain organic production.

Another important element of our Action Plan is to stimulate consumer demand: from 2009 to 2022, retail sales for organic products have increased by 150%.

Promotion campaigns have been important in this regard, helping to increase recognition of our EU organic logo by almost 40% over the past 10 years.

I encourage you to explore the full potential of organics in Indonesia: because we have seen in Europe that organic farms are profitable farms; organic techniques are productive techniques; and organic supply-chains are most often fair and rewarding supply chains.

Economic viability

Our second key policy approach is to reinforce the economic viability of our farmers.

In particular, we deliver targeted funding for small farmers, and we are working to improve fairness in supply chains: by supporting producer organisations, and by reinforcing legal protections for small operators.

We are also helping farmers to capture the full value of their products: and here I would like to highlight our system of Geographical Indications.

Based on the concept of intellectual property rights, this system protects and promotes roughly 3,500 unique European products, generating more than €19 billion in annual sales, which go to the territories, farmers, processors, and communities who work together to produce their traditional foods and drinks.

Our system also protects GIs from outside the EU – including, I am proud to say, three quality products from Indonesia.

Again, this is another strategic policy area worth exploring: GI-labelled products sell on average for twice as much as an equivalent non-GI product, ensuring a greater economic benefits to producers.

Social vitality

Finally, I would like to discuss how we are targeting the social vitality of our rural areas.

We have established a Long-term Vision for Rural Areas, which includes over 30 actions to support rural communities. For example:

• we have created 60 rural research and innovation projects;
• and we are supporting over 2,500 local action groups under the LEADER method, which empowers local communities to establish their own local development strategies, with European support.

We are also working to develop the next generation of farmers.

In their national CAP plans, Member States have developed strategies for young farmers, combining European funding for income support and start-up assistance, with national initiatives like tax relief schemes and conditions for land inheritance.

This joint approach helps to ensure a consistent, efficient, and effective approach to generational renewal – as young people involved in agriculture, I am interested to hear your perspectives on this challenge.

In summary, the combination of social, economic, and environmental sustainability has defined the development of the European agricultural policy over the past 5 years.

As for the future, the next Commission will prepare a Vision for Agriculture and Food in the first 100 days of the upcoming mandate.

For my own part, I believe that the future of our food system should be built around the “four S principle”, which is based on four fundamental truths:

• Society depends on food; we must therefore ensure food security;
• Food depends on farmers; we must therefore ensure the stability and economic viability of our farming communities;
• Farmers depend on the environment; we must therefore ensure the sustainability of our food systems
• and finally, we all depend on each other; we must therefore ensure solidarity, with our farmers, and with our international partners.

Look to each other

This brings me to the second area I would like to address: to drive sustainable and resilient agriculture, we cannot just look at ourselves; we must also look to each other.

With our international partners, the European Union is committed to the transformation of global food systems.

This commitment is built on four pillars.

Solidarity

First of all, solidarity.

We are delivering a comprehensive response to the immediate challenges of global food security, with a focus on stepping up humanitarian food assistance.

Jointly with our Member States, the EU has committed €18 billion in grants to countries and people in need for 2021-2024.

The European Commission has also met its pledge, announced at the Nutrition for Growth summit in Tokyo in 2021, committing €2.5 billion to nutrition actions over the past four years.

Production

Our second pillar of action is focused on production.

To reinforce global food systems, we are working through international partnerships, to help countries to improve their capacity for sustainable food production, and to develop fair and well-functioning value chains.

A key focus is support for small farmers: according to the FAO, five of every six farms in the world consist of less than two hectares.

I know that many farms in Indonesia fall under this category. Internationally, these farms account for only 12% of all agricultural land; yet produce roughly 35% of the world’s food.

That is why the European Commission is supporting over 70 partner countries around the world to boost local, sustainable food production.

Let me give you an example of our work with Indonesia. Between 2020-2022, the European Union provided financial support of over €1 million to the Echo Green project, a collaboration with the Indonesian Government, civil society organisations, and the private sector

Over the two years, technical support was provided to:

• 120 civil society organisations,
• 100 women farmers,
• 100 young farmers,
• and 100 villages

Overall, project funding reached more than 350,000 direct beneficiaries, developing natural resources potential, agricultural land-use, disaster resilience, and water management, as well as agricultural productivity and employment.

We hope the results of this project will continue to bear fruit for years to come.

Trade

Our third pillar of international action is trade.

We have seen time and again that global agriculture functions best under trading conditions that are open, transparent and rules-based – these are the principles to which we are committed.

These conditions enable both export-driven and import-dependent regions to diversify their supply chains and reinforce their resilience against systemic shocks.

In the face of Russia’s illegal aggression, the EU has also strengthened its support to help Ukraine maintain its essential exports to countries in need.

In the EU, we believe that food should never be used as a weapon of war or suppression – but only as a foundation for peaceful societies and friendly relations.

In relation to Indonesia, let me say that the EU is committed to achieving a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement that opens meaningful opportunities for both sides.

Although a number of outstanding issues remain, I welcome the good progress made in talks so far.

I must also underline that EU companies & consumers place a high value on sustainable products. That is why the EU is working closely with our international partners to strengthen the sustainability of our trade.

For example, we are coordinating with Indonesia to support deforestation-free supply chains, through a Joint Task Force, established in August 2023.

Let me also highlight the SAFE project, to which the EU has allocated €6 million, co-funded with the German government and implemented in cooperation with the Indonesian Ministry of National Development Planning.

This project provides funding towards small holders in the cocoa, palm oil and natural rubber sectors, to help them improve the sustainability of farming & forestry practices, as well as traceability.

Making sure that smallholders remain included in legal and deforestation-free supply chains is a high priority for the EU. That is why we’ve stepped up our support on the ground, to make sure smallholders are on board and aware of what they need to do.

Multilateralism

From an international perspective, our final pillar of action is multilateralism.

For example, we are working to meet the Triple Challenge for Food Systems, set by the OECD, as well as the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations.

As part of our multilateral activities, I would like to underline the EU’s constructive engagement with Indonesia in the G20.

Let me acknowledge Indonesia for its 2022 successful G20 Presidency, leading discussions on important global topics as food security, climate resilient agriculture, food waste, and digital agriculture.

This good cooperation has continued, most recently at the G20 Agricultural Ministers’ Meeting in September, and I am hopeful that we can maintain our good progress in the future.

Look to the future

And this leads me to my final point.

To find solutions for more sustainable farming systems, we must look to the future, and how we can shape it through research and innovation.

Within EU

Under Horizon Europe, our framework programme for Research & Innovation, the European Union is investing about €9 billion into ‘Food, the Bioeconomy, Natural Resources, Agriculture and the Environment’, between 2021 and 2027.

For example, as part of our Soil Mission, “A Soil Deal for Europe”, we are exploring carbon farming techniques, which can deliver win-win benefits for soil health, carbon capture, and farmers’ incomes.

We are also investing in techniques like Precision farming. For instance, our farmers now have access to data from our Copernicus satellite system, and thanks to EU funding, the number of broadband connections in rural areas has tripled.

With international partners

When it comes to research and innovation, the European Union continues to welcome international cooperation in the areas of food, the bioeconomy, and agroecology.

Most calls for proposals are open to Indonesian research institutes, universities and SMEs; I encourage you to explore the opportunities available, and to apply.

As an example of what can be done, the European Union has provided over €250,000 to the Center for International Forestry Research, based here in Indonesia. This is part of the Res-Alliance project, which supports farmers and foresters to strengthen their resilience.

At a multilateral level, I would also like to highlight the annual G20 Agricultural Chief Scientists meetings, in which both the EU and Indonesia participate.

Indonesia hosted the 11th Meeting in July 2022, which allowed for greater coordination on many important issues.

Overall, it is important that we continue to exchange knowledge in these ways.

We share many of the same challenges, so we must also share our solutions: because a challenge that we share is a challenge divided, and a solution that we share is a solution multiplied.

So we must continue working together; to quote the motto of this University, we must “Inspire innovation with integrity”.

Conclusion

Ladies and gentlemen, to conclude,

To drive sustainable food security across the world, we can no longer look for excuses; we must look for solutions:

• We must look to ourselves – by supporting the sustainability, productivity, and viability of our farmers, in our public policies and private food choices;
• We must look to each other – by working together internationally, in solidarity, production, trade and multilateralism;
• And we must look to the future – by advancing research and innovation, and by giving a future to young farmers.

Finally, I look to you. You are the future farmers and food producers, the future innovators, and policy-makers.

The future of our food system is in your hands. You have a great responsibility, because food systems touch every aspect of our lives:

• they provide an economic lifeline to millions of families;
• they produce food for billions of people;
• and they are essential to protect our climate, environment, and biodiversity.

Indeed, to enable peace, to end poverty, to encourage prosperity – each of these goals find their foundations in secure and stable food systems.

Therefore, by working together to transform our food systems – by making them more sustainable, more rewarding for our farmers, and more resilient – we can transform our future, for the better.

On that note, I thank you for your time and attention, and I look forward to our discussion.

Source – EU Commission