Food security and rural development
The EU supports a wide variety of projects contributing to food security and sustainable rural development, including a greener agriculture with sustainable practices and quality products and sustainable fishing and management of coastal areas.
The main challenge in this context is to secure and increase agricultural yields while at the same time conserving ecosystems and maintaining resources for those who rely on agriculture for their livelihoods. The key lies in the implementation of sustainable agriculture integrating economic profitability, environment protection and social equity.
The projects funded by the EU promote sustainable agriculture practices, including the efficient use of water, extensive use of organic and natural soil nutrients, optimal cultivation and tillage techniques, integrated pest control, the development of green or ecologically certified products and the promotion of eco-tourism. Greening agriculture in developing countries, and concentrating on smallholders in particular, is the most effective way to improve food security, to increase carbon sequestration and to minimise climate change risks while preserving biodiversity.
Marine fish and invertebrates are among the primary sources of natural food on the planet, providing over 2.6 billion people with at least 20% of their average per capita protein intake. But the oceans are facing unprecedented threats from fishing and transportation, waste disposal, excess nutrients from agricultural runoff, and the introduction of exotic species.
Nearly 70% of the world’s fish stocks are now fully fished, overfished or depleted, and 60% of the world’s coral reefs may disappear over the next two decades. An integrated approach to marine and coastal area management is therefore necessary to promote the recovery of biodiversity and fisheries resources and to control land-based sources of pollution.
The European Union combats illegal fishing through the Regulation on Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing. Under this recently adopted regulation, only marine fisheries products validated as legal by the relevant flag state or exporting state may be imported to or exported from the European Union. The European Commission also supports specific projects promoting the sustainable management of marine and coastal resources in developing countries.