Swiss government launches new climate strategy for agriculture

Under the new strategy, Swiss agriculture must produce in a way that is "adapted to the climate and local conditions" and achieve a self-sufficiency rate of at least 50%. Keystone / Jean-christophe Bott

On Tuesday, the Swiss government launched its new climate strategy for agriculture. The document aims to make the food system more sustainable and strengthen food security by 2050.

The aim of the strategy is twofold: to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the agricultural sector and to help the sector adapt to climate change, the Federal Office for Agriculture saidExternal link in a press release on Tuesday.

More concretely, the sector will need to produce in a way that is “adapted to the climate and local conditions” and achieve a self-sufficiency rate of at least 50%.

In addition, any greenhouse gas emissions arising from the production of food for consumption by the Swiss population will have to be reduced by two-thirds per person compared to emissions levels in 2020. Greenhouse gas emissions from domestic agricultural production are to be reduced by at least 40% compared to 1990 levels.

The new strategy replaces the 2011 climate strategy of the federal agriculture office.

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