15 % of EU land is affected by erosion caused by unsustainable land use practices.

European Environment Agency (2007): State of the environment report No 1/2007, ISBN 978-92-9167-932-4

PAN Europe envisages a world where high agricultural productivity can be achieved by introducing genuinely sustainable farming practices in which agrochemicals and environmental damage are kept to a strict minimum, and where local people are in control of local production, using local plant and livestock varieties.

The agricultural picture can be divided into various key areas.

Agriculture and farming activities do approximately
contribute 25% of the global greenhouse gas emissions,
in Europe approximately 10%, excluding emissions
due to land use and land use change.

ClimSoil (2008): Final Report of “Review of existing information on the interrelation between soil and climate change”

• Agriculture’s role in climate change
  Farming is a major contributor to global warming. The International Panel on Climate Change believes that it accounts for up to 12% of all man-made greenhouse gas emissions. To discover more, read our factsheet.
• Biodiversity
  Pesticide use has had a harmful impact on biological diversity. These products can have short-term toxic effects on directly-exposed organisms, and long-term effects can result from changes to habitats and the food chain. To discover more, read our factsheet and see our recent publication.
• Food security
  The only way to ensure world's food supply in the longer run is shifting away from the current tendency of more monoculture, standardisation and unsustainable intensive production to instead enable farmers to diversify, shift to safer farming methods and alternatives treatments. To discover how, read our factsheet.
• Integrated production
  How do we reduce our dependence on pesticides in farming? The answer lies in practising a more holistic approach to managing pests and crops. A gradual approach of this kind offers the greatest degree of flexibility to the world’s farmers.
  Why PAN Europes believe in integrated production, rather than focusing exclusively on organic farming?

This approach is line with the ongoing reform debate on Common Agricultural Policy towards 2020.