Moving Towards Green Farming: The Challenges of Implementing the Green Deal in Agriculture

Abstract In recent years, there has been much discussion in the European Union about the Green Deal. As this plan is in full swing, it is worth looking at how it is implemented and how it is evolving with the goal of achieving its objectives. This article will examine just one of the objectives of the Green Deal, which is to increase the amount of agricultural land dedicated to organic farming. This article inspects the progress made between 2017 and 2021 in terms of the agricultural area dedicated to this objective, which is influenced by the demand for organic products, in other words the consumption of such products. The analysis of data on agricultural land in each EU Member State and organic food consumption shows that the Green Deal target of 25% of agricultural land dedicated to organic farming faces major challenges. Explanatory diagrams are used to highlight the differences between Member States and the main obstacles to achieving the target. Finally, the article points out that the differences between EU Member States in the implementation of sustainable and organic farming practices and the appetite for consumption of organic products means that disparities between them in the implementation of the Green Deal are large. These results could be a starting point for raising awareness of the importance and extent of organic farming practices and for getting more people to choose organic products.