Fact Check Climate Change, Agriculture, Nutrition

The agricultural sector is directly affected by the impacts of climate change and contributes to the release of greenhouse gases (GHG). Agriculture therefore plays a crucial role in tackling the climate crisis and in food security. Increasing demand for agricultural products and growing competition for agricultural land with settlement structures and agricultural raw materials for renewable energy sources potentially lead to an intensification of agricultural production systems with negative impacts on ecosystems and their services. Against this background, the study examines, based on a literature review and statistical data, four thematic focal points that are of crucial importance for setting the course towards a sustainable agriculture: first, the impacts of agricultural production on various ecosystem services, second, the agricultural policy and fiscal framework of agricultural production in the EU and Austria, third, the ecological impacts of international agricultural trade, as well as fourth, policy and management approaches for a climate-oriented and multifunctional agriculture.