Systems Change: Cultivating Resilient Food Futures

Europe’s food and agriculture system stands at a precarious crossroads. Unless we shift from extractive practices to regenerative ones, rising food insecurity and poverty will threaten communities across the continent.

Rethinking Food Systems: Beyond Extraction

For decades, Europe’s food production has relied on an extractive paradigm—one that drains soils, pollutes waterways, and locks farmers into cycles of dependency on high external inputs. This “take-make-dispose” model has driven short-term yields, but at a steep cost: degraded land, plummeting biodiversity, and rural livelihoods pushed to the brink. The recent surge in food insecurity and rural poverty in various European regions signals deep cracks in the current system.

True resilience cannot be built atop exhausted foundations. We must move urgently toward holistic systems change—rooted in regeneration, diversity, and reciprocity with nature. Regenerative agriculture represents not just a technical fix, but a fundamental shift in values and structures.

Regenerative Agriculture: A Systems Change Strategy

Regenerative agriculture transcends simply sustaining what we already have. It seeks to restore soils, enhance ecosystem services, and enrich rural communities. But these benefits won’t be realized with piecemeal adoption or surface-level tweaks. Systems change is needed.

What does this look like?

Policy Realignment: Agricultural and subsidy policies must reward regenerative outcomes—healthy soils, clean water, thriving farm finances—instead of favoring scale and extraction.
Circular Value Chains: Linear supply chains must be redesigned for circularity, minimizing waste and returning nutrients to the land rather than exporting fertility.
Empowering Farmers: Farmers need access to knowledge, finance, and networks to redesign their systems. Peer-to-peer learning and cooperative models can accelerate the transition.
Integrated Rural Economies: Regeneration should be part of a broader rural development agenda, creating good jobs, diversifying incomes, and revitalizing local economies.
Measuring What Matters: Redefining success in food systems—in terms of ecological health, food security, and community wellbeing, not just tonnage or profit margins.

Why Systems Change, Not Simple Solutions

Tackling Europe’s looming hunger and rural poverty can no longer be left to isolated technical fixes or market trends. The legacy of extractive agriculture lingers precisely because it is embedded in systemic incentives, regulations, and mindsets. Without transformative change, stop-gap solutions risk perpetuating the underlying vulnerabilities.

For example, increased fertilizer use may boost yields in the short run, but over time, it depletes soil life and resilience, requiring ever more inputs. Similarly, flooding global markets with cheap imports destabilizes local producers, hollowing out rural economies. True systems change is about rewiring these structures—so that regenerative, community-rooted farming becomes the logical choice for all stakeholders.

Recommendations: Cultivating Regenerative Futures

Policymakers: Elevate regenerative targets in the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy. Direct payments and support toward those delivering measurable ecosystem and social benefits.
Research and Education: Invest in farmer-led innovation, demonstration farms, and transition support. Prioritize locally adapted regenerative methods.
Food Industry: Redesign procurement and value chains for transparency, fairer farmer remuneration, and mutual prosperity.
Communities and Citizens: Support local food networks, agroecology, and conservation initiatives. Advocate for healthy soil and vibrant rural livelihoods.

Conclusion

Europe’s regenerative future will not emerge from business as usual. Systems change is complex, but it is our most powerful shield against growing food insecurity and poverty. By realigning incentives and embracing regeneration as our organizing principle, Europe can nourish both people and planet—securing a truly resilient future for generations to come.

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