agriculture

Climate | Energy

Ambitious greenhouse gas mitigation in agriculture

A farmer plows a field with a ox plow

Climate protection in agriculture is complex: greenhouse gas mitigation and adaptation to climate change, food security, biodiversity, land rights and land use conflicts all have to be considered together. In a research project, options and barriers for mitigating greenhouse gas emissions in agriculture were analysed at the global level and for ten priority countries. read more

Soil | Land

Soil loss by wind erosion

When strong winds hit bare or only poorly covered soil, soil material is stirred up and transported, sometimes over long distances, through the open landscape. The result is the stealthy loss of fertile soil. Neighboring sites and ecosystems can be affected. Also, for people dangerous situations are possible, for example due to impaired visibility. read more

Umwelt-Indikator

Indicator: Grasslands

A graph shows the area of permanent grassland and its share of the total agricultural area from 1991 to 2023. Both indicators have been declining until 2013 and have then increased in the years that followed. Most recently, the values have stagnated.

Between 1991 and 2023 the area of grassland in Germany decreased by around 12 %.The area of permanent grassland has almost remained at the same level in recent years.The loss of grassland was largely halted with the 2014 agricultural reform, and the area of grassland has not fallen below the 2013 level since then. Effective steps are required to achieve this target. read more

Indicator: Agricultural nitrogen surplus

A graph shows the agricultural nitrogen surpluses for individual years and as rolling 5-year means between 1990 and 2021. The 5-year-mean nitrogen surpluses in kilogrammes per hectare dropped from 117 to 82. The target for 2030 is 70 kilogrammes per hectare and year.

The five-year average of nitrogen surplus of the total balance per hectare of utilized agricultural land has decreased by 30 % since 1992.The Federal Government aims to reduce the average nitrogen surplus of the total balance of the years 2028 to 2032 to 70 kilogrammes per hectare of agricultural land.If the trend of the last 10 years continues, the target will be reached. read more

Indicator: Organic farming

A graph shows the increase of the share of organic farming areas in total utilised agricultural area based on data of the German Federal Statistical Office and the FMFA. It also shows the 30 percent target of the Federal Government.

According to the data of the German Federal Statistical Office, the share of area under organic farming of agricultural land increased from 2.9 % to 9.7 % from 1999 to 2022.The Federal Government aims to increase the proportion of organically cultivated areas in agricultural land to 30 % by 2030.At the growth rate of recent years, this aim is expected to be missed in 2030. read more

The Umweltbundesamt

For our environment