European agriculture is undergoing fundamental structural changes. With the total number of farms in steady decline, farmland concentration has come to the fore as a pervasive problem in the EU. Due to a combination of economic, social, and cultural pressures, large numbers of small farmers are disappearing from agriculture. Meanwhile, sprawling agroholdings are on the rise, representing not merely a change in farm size, but a qualitative shift in farming practices. While the traditional family farming model still remains the backbone of European agriculture, it is slowly being displaced by capital-intensive industrial agriculture, with potentially deleterious social, economic, and environmental consequences. Despite attempts at greening the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), the policy arguably continues to support these trends as CAP’s direct payments continue to disproportionately benefit larger landholders.
Agenda
11.00 – 11.05 Welcoming and introduction to the topic.
11.05 – 11.55 Panel: Putting Land Back on the Political Agenda
11.55 – 12.25 Q&A Session
12.25 – 12.30 Closing remarks
While concerning in and of itself, the problem of land concentration becomes all the more pressing due to its connection with farmland grabbing. While practices of farmland grabbing are largely associated with the Global South, they are also present in Europe. Farmland is often grabbed up by actors that are not traditionally involved in agriculture, such as investment funds and private equity companies. In seeking the largest possible returns on investment, these financial actors often put acquired farmland for non-agricultural uses, which can lead to environmental degradation and negatively impact food security.
In recent years, a new trend of “green grabbing” has emerged, i.e. profit-driven practices of land grabbing that justify themselves in relation to green transition goals such as preserving biodiversity or contributing to the reduction of carbon emissions. These practices may be understood as contemporary forms of “enclosure” that can have negative implications for the livelihoods of those excluded from using the enclosed land. Understanding the dynamics of land concentration and green grabbing is essential to advancing a just and inclusive transition that aligns land use with both social and environmental priorities.
To explore the significance of these trends, join us at the upcoming GreenPaths webinar on 23 January at 11:00 CET. Experts Sylvia Kay, Žiga Malek, and Katarina Kušić will explore how addressing land grabbing and land concentration fit into the struggle for a just transition.
Check out all GreenPaths videos in the GreenPaths Youtube Channel