Reclaiming the Future of Food

Europe’s food systems stand at a critical crossroads. The current agro-industrial

model — driven by extraction, centralisation and fossil-fuel dependence — not only

contributes significantly to emissions, ecological degradation, biodiversity loss and

climate change, but also leaves Europe highly vulnerable to disruptions in global

supply chains, as seen during recent geopolitical and climate-related crises. It places unsustainable pressure on water resources, depleting aquifers and polluting rivers through fertiliser and pesticide run-offs. According to the European Environment Agency, food systems account for more than one-fifth of the EU’s total

environmental and climate impacts. Yet, they also hold the key to

regeneration. Building more localised and diverse food economies would enhance

resilience, reduce systemic and water-related risks, and restore balance between

human needs and ecological limits. Rooted in local contexts and community agency,

food systems can become powerful levers for cutting emissions, regenerating soils

and waterways, and ensuring healthy, just and resilient societies.

Across Europe, thousands of community-led initiatives (CLIs) are already

pioneering this transformation. From community-supported agriculture and food

cooperatives to ecovillages, food councils and permaculture projects, they show that

sustainable, democratic food systems are already taking shape from the ground up.

Local and regional food economies not only regenerate soil and biodiversity but also

drive circular, place-based development — closing nutrient, energy and material

loops while strengthening local livelihoods. Transforming food systems at this

level advances multiple policy goals simultaneously: climate adaptation, public

health, rural regeneration, biodiversity restoration and community wealth building,

laying the foundations for a well-being economy and the European Green Deal.

However, despite their proven impact, these initiatives remain largely

unrecognised and unsupported by mainstream EU policy and funding

frameworks. Their potential to contribute to systemic transformation is hindered by

structural barriers: lack of access to land, resources, finance, and inclusive

governance spaces. The new European policy cycle presents a crucial opportunity to

reverse this trend—placing communities at the heart of Europe’s food future.