Published on 28 May 2025

Agriculture and Food Climate Strategy 2050

The Agriculture and Food Climate Strategy 2050 aims to adapt the food system to climate change and reduce the volume of emissions it produces. It forms the basis for moving the food system forward sustainably, thereby strengthening food security across the board.

A miniature agricultural system is depicted on a plate on a wooden table. It symbolises the connection between agriculture and nutrition. A fork and a knife are placed on either side of the plate. The top half of the plate shows a landscape with a tree, a cow grazing, a stream and various crops. In the background, there is both sunshine and a thunderstorm in the sky, representing the climate. The bottom half of the plate shows things below the surface such as soil, roots, carrots, potatoes and an earthworm.

Strategy to deal with challenges in agriculture and the food industry

Climate change poses a major challenge to the agricultural and food industry. Furthermore, the industry itself contributes significantly to the greenhouse gas emissions that drive climate change

To meet this challenge, the Federal Office for Agriculture (FOAG), the Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN) and the Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office (FSVO) have drawn up the Agriculture and Food Climate Strategy in order to boost the industry's ability to adapt to climate change. The strategy also aims to reduce emissions generated by the industry. It serves as a guideline for the authorities and politicians and provides a framework for developing the food system with regard to climate protection and climate adaptation.

The Climate Strategy has two parts, the first of which sets out principles, goals and the direction of travel, while the second comprises a set of measures.

Climate Strategy goals (Part 1)

The first part of the strategy defines three overarching goals to be achieved by 2050:

  • (1)   Agricultural production is climate- and site-adapted and so meets at least 50 per cent of national food requirements.
  • (2a) The public has a healthy and balanced diet. This reduces the food footprint per person by two thirds compared to 2020.
  • (2b) Greenhouse gas emissions generated by domestic agricultural production are reduced by at least 40 per cent compared to 1990.

Goals along the food chain

In order to achieve the overarching goals, the Climate Strategy defines eight goals along the food chain for consumption, food waste, trade relations, production portfolios, nutrients, water management, soil and energy.

The figure shows eight boxes in different colours with symbols and texts. These represent the following sub-goals along the food chain: Ensure minimal losses in plant and animal nutrition (green), Conserve water resources (blue), Maintain soil fertility and increase carbon storage (brown), Reduce energy demand and boost use of renewable energies (mint green), Minimise food waste (grey), Align trade relations long term (purple), Achieve resource-conserving consumption patterns (orange) and Optimise production portfolios (yellow).

Set of measures (Part 2)

The second part of the Agriculture and Food Climate Strategy consists of a set of 42 measures, by means of which the goals set out in the first part are to be achieved by 2030. The aim of the measures is to achieve both a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and adaptation to climate change. They affect all players along the entire value chain, from agricultural production through processing and trade to consumption.

The detailed measure descriptions are available in German, French and Italian.

Further information

The FOAG provides a reduced English-language version of its website that does not include all further information such as documents, legislation or links. These can be found on the pages in the three official languages (German, French and Italian).