Farm & Food 4.0
International Congress Berlin
Farm & Food 4.0

30. October 2019

Politics are in a Sleeping Beauty Slumber

Interview with Dr. Rolf Sommer, WWF Germany

By Sarah Liebigt

In an interview with Farm & Food, Dr. Rolf Sommer of WWF Germany calls for the start of a joint dialogue on the future of agriculture. He is a participant in the panel on new networks.

The nationwide demonstrations by farmers at the end of October provided new food for the debate on the definition of agriculture and its interpretation sovereignty. Who may decide? Who decides what is done? Here and there, in addition to accusations, forward-looking voices have also been heard. “We ask that politicians and responsible NGOs enter the dialogue with us and do not over our heads make decisions that are impracticable or miss the mark,” explained the Trebbin Agricultural Cooperative in a statement published on Facebook. “(…) The permanent negative mood-make burdens us as people and stirs up anger and frustration in the profession.”

YouTube

Mit dem Laden des Videos akzeptieren Sie die Datenschutzerklärung von YouTube.
Mehr erfahren

Video laden

Farm & Food: The IPCC report you participated in this summer shows how much the climate crisis is affecting agricultural land use. How can we make agriculture fit for the future?

Dr. Rolf Sommer: The IPCC Special Report emphasizes, among other things, the importance of soil fertility. In order to maintain and develop soil fertility, we have to bring humus into the soil. This has two positive effects: On the one hand, humus soil stores water better: this is particularly important in times of climate change. On the other hand, this soil can bind carbon, ergo greenhouse gases from the air, better.

How can we improve society’s awareness of sustainable consumption?

We in Germany consume much more than our own land yields. In Brazil, rainforests are burned down and converted into soy areas for our fried chicken and steaks. The rainforest also burns for our palm oil consumption in Indonesia. We have to communicate these problems much more clearly; every single consumer is in demand here. Politicians also need to make improvements here.

Following the renewed reduction of the climate package by the German government, the question arises: What opportunities do you see for a political contribution to climate targets at state and local level?

We must not let the Federal Government out of its duty. The climate package as it stands at present is far from sufficient. Above all, it is about promoting renewable energies and a rapid phase-out of coal. The individual countries must not block, as we see it in Bavaria, for example: There, regulatory law prevents wind turbines from being installed.

Which (new) networks do we need, which (new) contacts do we have to establish in order to improve the dialogue between NGOs, agriculture and society without political support and to define and pursue common goals?

If nature conservation organisations and agricultural associations manage to enter into a constructive dialogue, then we will also succeed in developing viable solutions. We need such solutions in order to awaken politics from its slumber.

What makes Farm & Food an interesting event for the WWF Germany?

If Farm & Food manages to enter into an honest dialogue with agriculture and nature conservation organisations and develop solutions, then we can put an end to the current confusion in agricultural policy.

Related articles

Our Partners 2020

Partners

Premium

Superior

Partner

Media Partner

Patrons

supplements that increase male libido peak performance male enhancement how to say male enhancement in spanish can viagra help with my sex drive nitric oxide pills for ed best otc nitrious pills for ed does niacin help erectile dysfunction chris male enhancement pills how long does male enhancement pills last natural supplements to help premature ejaculation is there pills for man sex size matters male enhancement pills top 3 ed pills does erection disfuntion pills have effect against migraine free sample viagra pills same day ed pills kim kardashian keto gummy does a hot tub help you lose weight what does the diet pill phentermine do pills to reduce face fat best way to lose weight on ozempic it works slimming gummies reddit did savannah guthrie lose weight best way to lose the most weight in 30 days best pills for belly fat diet pill death uk how to take keto life pills what is in oneshot keto pills what happens if you take diet pills under 18 diet pills online nz earlybird full spectrum cbd gummies cbd dosage for sleep does cbd work on pain due to poor blood flow martha stewart cbd gummies valentines pure science lab cbd gummies review cbd oil gummies dosage for pain best topical pain relief cbd why does cbd help with sleep gummy bears cbd gummies first class cbd gummy bears