Sustainable Food Systems in Germany: Combining Organic Agriculture and Agroecology

Germany has a long-standing tradition of organic farming, supported by an established certification system and widely known by producers and consumers alike. In contrast, agroecology - with its comprehensive, holistic approach to agriculture and food systems - remains less known in Germany. Consequently, it has not yet become a foundational concept, especially among farmers and manufacturers, who lack a clear framework to align with the guiding principles of agroecology, which integrate ecological, social, economic, and political dimensions.

In this article, we explore the current state and practical application of agroecology in Germany and examine how combining it with organic farming could drive the urgently needed transformation of food systems.

Organic farming in Germany

In Germany, organic farming emerged in the 20th century as a response to ecological and economic crises. Early pioneers chose to avoid certain farming inputs, such as chemical pesticides. Instead, they focused on practices like closed nutrient cycles using farm-produced fertilizers and the integration of animal husbandry with arable farming and grassland use. Ethical considerations and a growing sense of responsibility toward nature and consumers also played an important role. The core motivation of the pioneers of organic farming - the close connection between the health of soil, plants, animals, humans, and the entire Earth ecosystem - is reflected in practices of organic farming, such as crop rotation, composting, and the use of organic inputs. 

A comprehensive EU-wide certification system, along with additional private standards from organic farming associations, ensures consumers high product quality and safety. This system guarantees, among other things, that organic farming does not use synthetic fertilizers, chemicals such as pesticides, or genetically modified organisms (GMOs). However, the increasingly extensive documentation requirements and inspections for farms, mills, bakeries, dairies, and many other organic food producers also bring bureaucratic and financial burdens, which can be particularly challenging for smaller businesses.

Today, organic farming and the production and trade of organic food are well-established and widely recognized. Germany is both Europe’s largest market for organic products and its leading organic producer by total output. The German government has set an ambitious goal of expanding organic farming to cover 30 percent of the country's agricultural land by 2030. In 2023, the share of organically managed land in total agricultural land was about eleven percent. Despite steady growth, Germany's 30 percent target and the EU's 25 percent organic farming target remain far out of reach. Even if Germany were to succeed in doing so, 70 percent of agricultural land would still be farmed conventionally. To adapt to the global multiple crises, conventional agriculture must also become more sustainable and thus more resilient.

The state of agroecology in Germany 

In the German context, agroecology is founded on ecological principles and shares with organic farming a fundamental understanding of cultivated land as an ecosystem, aiming to reduce external industrial inputs, minimize environmental impact, and enhance biodiversity as well as animal and soil health. But the core elements of agroecology, defined as "science, movement, and practice"1, go beyond the ecological dimension of organic farming. Agroecology is not a fixed model but a dynamic process driving socio-ecological transformation of food systems, guided by the 13 principles of agroecology defined by the the High Level Panel of Experts on Food Security and Nutrition in Rome. This includes the creation of a socially just system, with fair wages for workers and fair prices for farmers and manufacturers, local cooperation between different stages of the value chain, and participatory decision-making. 

Agroecology emphasises trust and local relationships grounded in social and ecological responsibility, and producer-led self-regulation. By fostering close connections between farmers, manufacturers and consumers, agroecology often strengthens local and regional markets. As a holistic approach, agroecology encompasses not only agricultural practices but also the downstream stages of food production and the broader food system.

Agroecology provides guidance and principles for a food system based on diversity, independence, and self-determination for all involved, with the goal of achieving food sovereignty and realizing the right to adequate food. Key principles in the development of agroecological structures in Germany include:

• Considering the productivity of the entire food system, rather than focusing solely on the yields of individual varieties per hectare
• Diversifying production and promoting positive interactions and synergies between plants, animals, soil, water and humans, which lead to greater diversity in diets as well as greater stability of production against external influences or stressors such as extreme weather or market dynamics
• Combining traditional, local knowledge with scientific insights
• Widening and exchanging knowledge and experiences across the different stages of the value chain - from breeding to the final food product
• Avoiding the use of external inputs such as agrochemicals or GMOs, as it threatens biodiversity and ecosystems, displaces traditional species, increases herbicide use and creates dependencies on large biotech companies, contradicting agroecology's values of independence and self-determination

Agroecology as a holistic concept is still relatively unknown in Germany. Even those who incorporate various principles of agroecology into their work are often unfamiliar with the term and its underlying concept. Unlike countries such as Brazil or India, Germany currently lacks a visible and widespread social agroecology movement. The concept has often been seen as primarily relevant to the Global South or has been viewed mainly as an academic discipline. However, individual projects and actors from science, practice, and civil society already apply agroecological practices, most often without using the term.

VORWERTS project: Sustainable agriculture through mixed crops

A concrete example of agroecology in practice is the German project VORWERTS, which focuses on the production and processing of wheat for baking, cultivated alongside peas. This collaborative initiative brings together organic farmers, millers, bakers, consumers, and scientists to develop innovative solutions for the agricultural challenges posed by climate change in an open, co-creative process. The project evaluates the agronomic performance and baking quality of the mixed crops compared to conventional wheat, focusing on optimising grain separation, cleaning, milling, and processing. 

While the primary goal is to improve wheat production for baking, there is also significant interest in incorporating legume flour. Bakers will experiment with various pea flour proportions in their recipes and conduct sensory evaluations of the results. To identify potential for process optimisation, the wheat from the mixed cropping system will be processed and marketed by the bakeries in two baking campaigns. In addition, sales tests and surveys will be conducted to gain insights into consumer acceptance of "mixed-crop bread".

Utilizing synergies in the design of sustainable food systems

In an era where industrial agriculture has led to environmental degradation, biodiversity loss, and social inequalities, agroecology and organic farming offer two complementary pathways towards a more sustainable future. Agroecological principles can enrich organic farming by encouraging a more holistic view, integrating social and political considerations, and broadening the scope to include impacts that extend beyond the farm to landscapes and society. The system of trust and local relationships with social and ecological responsibility also encompass smaller food producers, who cannot afford certification, handle the bureaucratic burden, or do not identify with the image of organic farming. Therefore, agroecology has the potential to accelerate the shift to sustainable agricultural practices on more than the targeted 30 percent of agricultural land in Germany.

Meanwhile, organic certification can provide agroecological farms with a market advantage, allowing them to reach consumers who prefer certified organic products. Both approaches share a commitment to sustainability, environmental protection, and the reduction of external inputs in farming. By combining the strengths of both systems, farmers can create resilient agricultural landscapes that are locally adapted and nourish the planet and its people.