Lantmännen is an agricultural cooperative and Northern Europe’s leader in agriculture, machinery, bioenergy and food products.
On the 30th of May, the EU's CAP Directors gathered for a study visit and conference at Framtidsgården Svalöv, as part of the EU meeting in Malmö during the Swedish Presidency. More than 100 visitors got to take part in Lantmännen's plan to reach Farming of the Future 2050, see new technology and cultivation methods for a more sustainable and productive agriculture and take part in a panel discussion on how the future potential of agriculture can be realized.
On the 30th of May, the EU's CAP Directors gathered for a study visit and conference at Framtidsgården Svalöv, as part of the EU meeting in Malmö during the Swedish Presidency. More than 100 visitors got to take part in Lantmännen's plan to reach Farming of the Future 2050, see new technology and cultivation methods for a more sustainable and productive agriculture and take part in a panel discussion on how the future potential of agriculture can be realized.
The panel discussion included speakers from Sweden, Norway, the European Commission and the upcoming Spanish EU Presidency. Some topics raised in the panel were plant breeding, promoting and implementing new technology as well as developing competence for the future and young people's commitment and interest in agricultural issues. In the first presentations of the day, the road to climate-neutral and profitable farming in 2050 was presented, according to Lantmännen's vision for Farming of the Future.
"We at Lantmännen believe that we can increase harvests by more than 50 percent by 2050 and plant breeding is a crucial factor for this. If we look back in history over the past 100 years, productivity growth since then has been around three and a half to four percent annually, and at that rate forward, it is possible to reach our goal," said Per Lindahl.
The needs and requirements ahead within farming were also discussed, where many factors interact. Policy frameworks, investments in research and development and collaboration throughout the value chain were some issues that were raised.
"We need research and development, financial instruments, and farmers who develop their farms with available technology and methods. With a common vision, we can meet the challenges of the future," said Christina Nordin, Director General of the Swedish Board of Agriculture.
Panelists
Lovisa Madås, moderator
Christina Nordin, Director General, The Swedish Board of Agriculture
Dan Ericsson, Secretary of State, Ministry of Rural Affairs and Infrastructure, Sweden
Lennart Nilsson, Member of the National Board for the Federation of Swedish Farmers (LRF)
Maria Knutson Wedel, Vice-Chancellor, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU)
Mihail Dumitru, European Commission’s Deputy Director-General at the Directorate General for Agriculture and Rural Development (DG AGRI)
Svein Tore Holsether, President and CEO, Yara International
Ignacio Atance Muñiz, Deputy director general for agricultural policy planning, Spain
Per Arfvidsson, Executive Vice President & CTO, Lantmännen