Land Grabbing

Why can’t the rich EU feed itself?

The European Union has more arable land per person than the global average, around 2500 m². In India it is 1200 m², in China 880 m² and in Switzerland only around 500 m². In the USA, on the other hand, there is 4760 m² and in Argentina almost 10,000 m² per person. Wheat, barley, maize, other grains and oilseeds are the most important arable crops in Europe. Most of it is used as animal feed, and increasingly also for energy and fuel production.

If we compare the area of arable land used for crops imported into the EU (e.g. soy) with the area used for crops that we export (e.g.
wheat), this results in a net import of around 21 million extra hectares of food brought in from other countries around the world. That makes an additional 500 m² of arable land per person, bringing the consumption up to a total of 3000 m² per person. Yet Europe has excellent soils and climatic conditions, and the underlying technical and financial conditions are (theoretically) optimal. So why can’t the EU feed itself? Because we can afford to import, and agricultural products are too cheap on the world market? A large proportion of our imported goods from arable land is not intended for our food.