‘Less soy, fewer fertilizers’: WUR’s Joost de Laat calls for new EU strategy on food autonomy

Speaking at the 10th edition of F&A Next in Wageningen on 21 May, Joost de Laat, Director of the Social Sciences Group at Wageningen University & Research (WUR), urged Europe to rethink its agricultural dependencies and take decisive steps toward food autonomy. He called for a system that is less reliant on imported soy, artificial fertilizers, and fossil fuels, framing these changes as essential to securing the continent’s food future.

“The COVID-19 crisis, the war in Ukraine, and now heightened geopolitical tensions have all shown that our food supply depends on factors we cannot always control,” de Laat said in his keynote. “We must seek to make our food system more resilient so that we are better able to withstand the impact of international political events and trade disruptions.”

While the European Union is largely self-sufficient in calories, de Laat explained that the real vulnerabilities lie in its dependence on external inputs. “We are dependent on the import of soy for our livestock sector. To ensure the supply of animal feed, we would have to produce more soy and soy substitutes in Europe — and consume less beef,” he said.

Artificial fertilizers present a similar challenge. “The European agricultural sector imports vast quantities of artificial fertilizers from Russia and Belarus, which is undesirable and risky for geopolitical reasons,” he noted. “Moreover, crop farming and horticulture depend on fossil fuels, such as diesel for tractors and natural gas for the greenhouses.”

He added that Europe’s energy transition is underway and showing momentum not just within the EU, but also in countries like China and, increasingly, the US. “Replacing fossil fuels with renewable energy is the correct measure to slow down climate change and, in doing so, bolster food security.”

De Laat emphasized that food autonomy should not be viewed in opposition to sustainability. “Limiting the import of soy and fossil energies and replacing artificial fertilizers with biological alternatives is sensible both from a nature and food autonomy perspective,” he argued. He also highlighted the need for shifts in consumption patterns: eating more plant proteins and cutting food waste would reduce reliance on vulnerable supply chains.

When asked whether food autonomy and global trade can coexist, de Laat said the aim is not to isolate but to strengthen local resilience. “Dependencies will continue to exist, as will trade and international partnerships. I believe we must pursue the increase of food autonomy at an EU level,” he said. “That means we must maintain good relations with our neighbors and export potatoes and meat in exchange for grain, sunflower oil and wine. That implies we need a European collective perspective on food.”

He also challenged the EU to rethink how farmers are supported, advocating for a broader vision that includes environmental, social and economic resilience. “Farmers are currently being paid per hectare, which means scale is rewarded. One could also reward farmers for landscape and biodiversity, at a smaller scale if so desired,” he said.

Addressing demographic challenges, de Laat stressed the importance of supporting younger generations to take up farming. “There are many older farmers, while pursuing a career as a farmer or crop grower is difficult for the younger generation. We should consider financial incentives for young farmers if they contribute to the diversity and resilience of our food sector.”

His message was clear: food autonomy is not just about producing more, but about creating systems that are robust, adaptive and socially sustainable. “There is no one solution,” he said. “Food systems are complex and diverse, and we need both broad perspectives and specific knowledge of subsectors to guide political choices.”

As part of its role, WUR continues to map these dilemmas and provide the insights needed to inform the next phase of European agricultural policy.