Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 5214 I EUROPEAN SEED I EUROPEAN-SEED.COM y 2050 we know that the global demand for food is set to increase by 70 per cent if we are to meet the needs of a world population of around nine billion. We also know that farmers are experiencing several pressures related to the natural environment such as scarcity of available land, water shortages and weather extremes due to climate change impacts and new and emerging pests and diseases. All this makes it increasingly difficult for them to produce safe and nutritious food in a sustainable manner. With that in mind, we felt it time for European Seed to check in with the two foremost organizations in Europe representing farmers and cooperatives: COPA (Committee of Professional Agricultural Organisations) and COGECA (General Confederation of Agricultural Cooperatives). We sat down with COPA and COGECA Secretary-General Pekka Pesonen. Up against increasing challenges, it is crucial for farmers to have quality seeds and new breeding techniques (NBTs) to enable them to produce more in a sustainable way and using less resources, Pesonen said. Speaking in Brussels, Pesonen said, “European farmers are up against increasing challenges, hit by low market prices and high input costs, extreme weather events and price volatility. Their incomes are half the average level and COPA & COGECA Secretary-General Pekka Pesonen talks about quality seeds, new breeding techniques and research & innovation. By: Marcel Bruins Ensuring a Dynamic EU Agriculture Sector for the Future