European farmers are already changing how they work in response to climate change, labour shortages, and economic and regulatory pressures, according to a new European Commission study.
The analysis draws on 15 case studies across 11 EU member states and looks at how these pressures affect farm income, resilience and long-term viability, the Commission said in a release on Monday.
The research was published as part of work feeding into the EU’s Vision for Agriculture and Food (2025), a plan setting out a roadmap for the agri-food sector towards 2040.
Climate change was identified as the strongest driver of adaptation across regions and farming types, with farmers increasingly dealing with droughts, water scarcity, heatwaves and more frequent extreme weather, according to the study. It also reported rising pressure from pests and diseases.
Farmers are already responding in several ways, including improving water management, changing cultivation practices and adjusting crop choices.
Labour shortages and rising costs
Labour shortages and demographic change are also emerging as major challenges, particularly in labour-intensive sectors such as horticulture and dairy, according to the study.
It said an ageing farming population and difficulties attracting younger people were reinforcing the need for targeted support to help generational renewal.
The report also pointed to economic pressures such as price volatility, global competition and evolving regulatory requirements, which it said were contributing to changes in farming systems.
Adaptation measures identified in the case studies ranged from “efficiency improvements” such as better use of resources, to “substitution strategies” like changing crops or practices, and more structural redesigns of farming systems.
EU support under the Common Agricultural Policy — the bloc’s main farming subsidy and rural development programme — was described as a key tool for the transition through investment support, income stabilisation measures and advisory services, according to the report.
It noted further that there was scope to improve how support is targeted and co-ordinated at local level to make it clearer and more effective for farmers.
