According to the World Food Programme, the total number of people facing acute food insecurity could rise by 45 million – bringing the global total of malnourished people to 363 million, if the Middle East conflict continues. Nearly two-thirds of these people live in Africa and Asia – areas where the Green Revolution has led to high dependence on hybrid seed and costly inputs deprived from fossil fuels, with the promise of higher yields.
Here in the UK, National Farmers’ Union Scotland is warning that escalating disruption in the Middle East is rapidly developing into a domestic food production crisis. Scottish farmers and crofters are facing unsustainable cost pressures and growing risks to national food security. They are calling for a targeted input support package to offset exceptional fuel and fertiliser costs, including enhanced red diesel rebates and direct fertiliser support.
Synthetic fertilisers and toxic pesticides are destroying our environment
Conventional agriculture is the second biggest emitter of greenhouse gases and a leading cause of nature loss in Scotland. Not only is red diesel an actual fossil fuel, but nitrogen-based fertilisers and hazardous pesticides are all derived from fossil fuels. Run-off from fields treated with synthetic fertilisers causes the build up of toxic algae in lakes and rivers. An extreme example of this can be seen in Lough Neagh, Northern Ireland.
Continuous applications of pesticides not only kill off plant pests, but are also driving many beneficial insects, and the wildlife that depends on them, to extinction. Neonicotinoids, commonly used on oilseed rape and maize, kill bees, hoverflies and wasps, while the carcinogenic weedkiller glyphosate, which is widely used on genetically modified crops and sprayed directly onto wheat and oat grain, destroys wildlife habitats.
Rather than provide direct support for the purchase of synthetic fertilisers, the government should scale up incentives for farmers who want to convert to organic production. Organic agriculture cuts greenhouse gas emissions, eliminates the use of pesticides and promotes biodiversity. Currently, just 2% of Scottish farmland is organic, while the expansion of organic farming is missing from Scotland’s new climate change plan.
Soil Association Scotland has recently called on politicians to implement a 10% target for organic farming. The European Union’s latest green action plan has a target of at least 25% of agricultural land to be converted to organic farming by 2030.
More than 25% of farmland in Austria is already organic
Organic farmland in Austria grew by more than 7000% between 1985 and 2021 and is expected to grow to more than 30% by 2030. This was achieved by focusing on both farmer and consumer awareness. So what can we in Scotland learn from our Austrian friends? In order to answer this question the Festival of Europe has included the following timely event in their May 2026 programme: Accelerating conversion to organic farming in Scotland: Learning from Austria.
At this event, participants will hear from Austrian Green member of the European Parliament and organic farmer, Thomas Waitz, at this event. The issues raised will then be discussed by David McKay, co-director of Soil Association Scotland, organic farmer Rachel Ives of Kilburns Farm, Fife, and Ariane Burgess, recent Scottish Green Party spokesperson on rural affairs. Tickets are free.
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