Lower House: only truly sustai­nable agri­culture is “climate-smart”


22 februari 2016

Only when it truly contributes to the greening of our food production and security should agriculture be called “climate-smart”. The Lower House has passed a motion on this subject introduced by Marianne Thieme. At present, the term is used so casually that it occasionally even includes factory farms.

2202Tractor met mest - shutterstock - Paul Yates Klein

The government policy will fully engage in climate-smart agriculture. At the moment, this still includes virtually any form of agriculture, even factory farming. The Lower House wants to see an end to this lack of clarity.

A large majority of parliament has supported a motion by Marianne Thieme to adopt a clear and distinct definition of climate-smart agriculture. From now on, only agriculture that truly contributes to the greening of global food production and to ensuring the right to food may be called “climate-smart”.

Marianne Thieme: “Industrial agriculture puts severe pressure on animals, the environment and human rights. By calling this destructive form of agriculture “climate-smart”, the government has tried to give it a green veneer. However, now that the Lower House has foiled these greenwashing practices, the government will be forced to promote initiatives that are truly sustainable.

The adopted motion will force the government to finally meet the wishes of both Lower House and the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to food, to concentrate on small-scale organic farming.

Improper use
Hundreds of NGOs including Cordaid and Friends Of The Earth have already sounded the alarm over the improper use of the term. They have warned that by designating industrial farming as “climate-smart”, multinationals will rake in the money that should be intended for encouraging small, agro-ecological farmers.