Crops and animal products

Current production patterns in Belgium, especially farming and agriculture, are identified as one of the main drivers of biodiversity loss. Livestock farming seriously impacts biodiversity, in Belgium (e.g. nitrogen) and abroad (e.g. feed import). One way of reducing Belgium’s dependence on importation, and thus its ecological footprint, is to enhance local production – crop and livestock farming, horticulture, fishery… Nevertheless, this might also be detrimental to biodiversity if it is done intensively, regardless of the emissions, conversion of land, impacts on biodiversity, soil, water, ecosystems and the climate.

There are production practices which support the preservation of biodiversity, including soil biodiversity and fertility, the adaptation to and mitigation of climate change, land degradation neutrality and lower the ecological footprint abroad. These practices can be done at local level, thus promoting and revaluating qualitative local production with seasonal products.

Quality food belts around urban and peri-urban areas depend on a critical population that supports the demand for local seasonal products which in turn creates the demand for sustainable biodiversity-friendly agriculture. This would provide several ecological and socio-economic advantages: healthier and more qualitative products and diets, enhancing short chains, local green jobs, fair support to local producers and cheaper products as fewer intermediaries, more local seasonal production and consumption, and more open spaces for nature.