Sustainably feeding the growing world population and preventing dangerous climate change are two of the major challenges facing society today. While there is a growing understanding of the complexity of the links between these challenges and of the global degradation of the environment, the contribution of food and farming to climate change mitigation is all too often looked at from the single perspective of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions per hectare or kilogram of product. This narrow view fails to account for the vast array of ways that food and farming contribute to climate change, as well as the destructive effects of industrial agriculture on soils, biodiversity and the natural resources on which we depend for food production.

Organic agriculture empowers farmers by helping them design agronomic systems that are more resilient towards the impacts of climate change, by enabling them to reduce dependence on external inputs, and by promoting the development – rather than the degradation – of the natural resources on which we depend for food production. As there is already more than enough food produced, we need to improve distribution, reduce food waste, promote sustainable diets and reduce consumption of animal products. Organic agriculture contributes through its holistic approach to sustainable food systems working towards healthy farms, healthy people and a healthy planet.