Rising population growth and a growing global demand for food, declining biodiversity, worsening climate change, and increased consumer expectations – the agricultural sectors in both Germany and the United States face immense, and to some extent, similar challenges. To feed a growing world population, production must be increased. However, this must be done sustainably, or the agricultural sector runs the risk of contributing further to climate change and biodiversity loss. To identify innovative solutions and promote their implementation, the Aspen Institute Germany, together with the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, has launched a new project: the U.S.-German Forum Future Agriculture.

Measured in terms of gross domestic product and total employment, the agricultural sector does not play a significant role in the overall economy of the United States nor Germany. However, this narrow view underestimates the immense contribution agriculture makes to society, the economy, and the environment.

In rural areas, agriculture is an important aspect of economic and social life. It contributes to employment, growth, and quality of life and, thus, also determines the future viability of rural areas, where the effects of structural change are felt particularly strongly. Many rural areas struggle with loss of employment opportunities, rural flight, and limitations of public infrastructure (mobility, health care, education, broadband, etc.). Economic and social inequalities and the feeling of being left behind can easily become a breeding ground for populism and right-wing tendencies, and existing development opportunities are often insufficiently utilized.

Agriculture also plays a significant role for the environment and climate. By using sustainable agricultural practices, it can make a significant contribution to protecting natural resources, preserving biodiversity, and mitigating climate change. However, if it fails to do so, it can also worsen biodiversity loss and climate change. In this context, agriculture must adapt to the consequences of climate change, such as rising temperatures, drought, and natural disasters, which are already being felt in Germany and the United States and are hitting the agricultural sector hard. The risk of yield losses is increasing due to a lack of precipitation and extreme weather events like storms, heavy rain, hail, and flooding. Climate change also impacts soil health. Water reserves in agricultural soils, for example, have decreased significantly during the growing season. Crops are also threated by invasive species and new plant diseases. The COVID-19 pandemic, resulting supply chain disruptions, global trade disputes, falling producer prices, rising investment costs, price volatility, and labor shortages have further increased pressure on farmers.

Sustainable agriculture is a key factor in ensuring the future viability of rural areas and supporting a healthy environment. To achieve this, innovative solutions must be identified.

Agriculture in the Transatlantic Relationship

Agriculture has long been a key issue for the transatlantic partnership. As major producers of agricultural products, the United States and Germany have both a responsibility and the resources to lead the way toward a more environmentally, economically, and socially sustainable future for agriculture and rural regions. However, differing views on how to achieve mutual goals have often introduced conflict rather than collaboration into the relationship. Whereas the United States often prefers innovation and technological solutions to achieve sustainable productivity growth, the EU more often relies on promoting sustainable farming practices through its Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and binding reduction targets via its Farm to Fork Strategy.

For decades, the transatlantic partners have been at odds over subsidies, tariffs, and sanitary and phytosanitary issues (including genetically modified foods, hormone-treated meat, and the use of pesticides). Concerns about agriculture, food and the environment also played a central role in the negotiations on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP). The U.S. views the EU’s market access restrictions and high health and environmental standards as disguised protectionism. In contrast, Europeans, and Germany in particular, criticize U.S. production methods and fear that greater competition with the U.S. could lead to a deterioration of food, health, and environmental standards. Clearly, these conflicts have not abated. In September 2021, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack remarked that, “it’s pretty clear that there are two different paths, and I think the United States and many other countries will go one way [and] the EU will go another way”.

Despite these challenges, there has been auspicious progress toward greater coordination between the transatlantic partners. In November 2021, the EU Commissioner for Agriculture Janusz Wojciechowski and Secretary Vilsack announced the EU-US Collaboration Platform on Agriculture. This dialogue platform aims to promote knowledge-sharing, mutual understanding, and enhance collaboration. A number of events have taken place in its scope, focused primarily on the themes of sustainability, climate, and agri-food exchanges, providing an encouraging example for future cooperation.

The Aspen Institute Germany’s U.S.-German Forum Future Agriculture

In October 2022, the Aspen Institute Germany, together with the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, launched the U.S.-German Forum Future Agriculture to build on efforts to foster a better mutual understanding of different agricultural practices and standards, advance transatlantic cooperation and combat existing stereotypes. Across two years, this project will bring together German and U.S. farmers and key agricultural stakeholders from research and business. Through an exchange of experiences, the opportunity to visit best practices on-site, and the establishment of new transatlantic networks, this project will facilitate a discussion on the future of agriculture and an exchange of ideas on common challenges and innovative solutions.

The project sets a different regional and thematic focus in each program year. The first cohort, which began its work together in February 2023, will focus primarily on the topic of climate change with arable farmers in the Corn Belt region of the U.S. Midwest and on Eastern Germany. In 2024, the project will shift its focus to the core topic of digitalization in dairy production and cattle farming in Northwest Germany and the Northeast region of the United States. Both cohorts will also address the social, economic, and political dimension of sustainable agriculture and rural regions. The development of recommendations for decision-makers in politics, business, and agriculture will ensure that knowledge gained will be disseminated beyond the core group.

An environmentally, economically, and socially sustainable agriculture can play a significant role in the effort to reduce GHG emissions, enhance biodiversity, and preserve natural resources. Simultaneously, it has a vital role in ensuring food security and strengthening social cohesion by promoting the economic and social development of rural regions. Strengthened transatlantic relations in agriculture are critical to helping farmers and other agricultural stakeholders overcome the many challenges and utilize the opportunities that sustainable agriculture presents.