Around half of Germany’s area is used for agriculture. It is used for food and plant raw material cultivation. The way farmers manage natural resources, protect soil, water and biodiversity when growing crops and raising animals has an enormous impact on our nature and environment.

Conventional or (bio)ecological farms use their sustainability performance to contribute to maintaining healthy soils, ecosystems and biodiversity in different ways: for example, through the use of sustainable cultivation methods from permaculture to precision farming, the sustainable use of fertilizers and pesticides, etc Avoiding monocultures, regenerating soils and protecting animal welfare.

Sustainable farms improve their processing, marketing and transport routes for the products they produce and take climate adaptation measures through efficient irrigation methods and climate-resilient varieties. Fisheries in seas, lakes and rivers have a particular responsibility for protecting species and ecosystems. Sustainable fisheries do not use overfished stocks, take catch quotas into account and avoid bycatch. They promote transformation through environmentally and resource-friendly fishing methods, the environmentally friendly management of aquaculture, the clever coupling of aquaculture and vegetable cultivation, and the support of small fishing communities.

The industry includes crop cultivation, arable farming, animal husbandry and mixed farming, as well as fishing.