In May, the European Commission presented the Biodiversity Plan, a document that forms part of the Green New Deal, the European green pact that aims to transform Europe into the first zero-emissions continent in terms of CO2 by 2050. The new strategy proposes ambitious actions and commitments to halt the loss of biodiversity in Europe and worldwide, and to transform our food systems into globally recognised benchmarks. The plan addresses the main causes of biodiversity loss, such as the unsustainable use of land and sea, the overexploitation of natural resources, pollution and invasive alien species. It proposes, among other things, to strengthen organic farming and other farming practices that are respectful of biodiversity. The "Farm to Fork" strategy sets out to reduce the use of pesticides and related risks by 50 per cent, the use of fertilisers by at least 20 per cent, and sets the target of devoting 25 per cent of agricultural land to organic farming.

Ambitious and demanding targets in the European biodiversity plan, but indispensable in the fight against greenhouse gases

Organic farming can therefore make an important contribution to environmental protection and to reducing emissions. According to data published by the Rodale Institute in 2011, organic farming systems use 45 per cent less energy than conventional ones and produce 40 per cent fewer greenhouse gases than farming based on conventional methods. Furthermore, the organic method prohibits the use of synthetic chemical substances, one of the main factors affecting biological diversity, alongside habitat loss and climate change. These can in fact have short-term toxic effects on organisms directly exposed, or long-term effects that cause changes in the food chain.

The 50 per cent cut in pesticides is one of the most ambitious targets, which will require, even in conventional agriculture, innovations developed in organic farming through techniques and approaches of natural origin, as an alternative to synthetic chemical products. These techniques, based on substances of natural and mineral origin, allow the management of harmful pests and pathogens through the study of their biology and behaviour.

Converting 20 per cent of crops would already be a step forward

The hope is that organic farming can become the reference paradigm. Agriculture is indeed one of the most polluting sectors and is responsible for approximately 24 per cent of global CO2 emissions. Climate change and agriculture are therefore inextricably linked.

Even 20 per cent of the Old Continent's fields cultivated using organic methods would be sufficient to significantly reduce climate-altering emissions, as maintained by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), according to which, by doing so, it would be possible to prevent the release into the atmosphere of 92 million tonnes of CO2, more than a country such as Austria generates annually.

How organic farming helps the climate

Areas cultivated using organic methods, according to data released by the WMO, are extremely useful in sequestering carbon dioxide. Each hectare of organic soil is in fact capable of storing at least half a tonne of carbon per year, and organic production requires on average 30 per cent less energy per unit of output. Land managed using organic methods is also able to retain greater quantities of water than conventionally managed land, thereby ensuring better yields in the increasingly frequent event of scarce rainfall.