How the CAP Fights Climate Change in Belgium

In Belgium, climate change is already reshaping the agricultural landscape with farmers facing increasingly unpredictable conditions. One season brings torrential rain and overflowing rivers, the next brings weeks of stubborn drought or a string of heatwaves that leave crops gasping. These swings threaten harvests, and, in the long run, the stability of the country’s food supplies. At the same time, Belgian agriculture itself contributes to climate change through greenhouse gas emissions from livestock and soil degradation linked to intensive farming practices.  

To address both sides of this challenge in Belgium, the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) integrates climate action into its objectives. Through the CAP Strategic Plans for Wallonia and Flanders, the country weaves climate action into farming support, combining minimum environmental rules with incentives for greener practices and longer-term investments in innovation and resilience. 

In Belgium, all farmers who receive CAP support must comply with conditionality rules that set the basic standards for climate- and environment-friendly farming. These include the Good Agricultural and Environmental Conditions (GAECs), which apply uniformly across Wallonia and Flanders. The rules require, among other things, the preservation of permanent grassland, measures to prevent water pollution, and soil protection practices such as crop rotation. Think of conditionality as the ground floor of sustainable farming, the minimum every farm must respect before any additional support can be granted. 

Eco-schemes  

Once that foundation is in place, the CAP opens the door to more ambitious climate-friendly practices through eco-schemes. These are voluntary, but Belgium has set aside a sizeable share of its direct payments to make them attractive. Wallonia dedicates 26% of its direct payment budget to eco-schemes; Flanders puts in 25%, matching the EU’s minimum requirement.  

Both regions use these funds in ways that reflect their own landscapes and priorities. In Wallonia, eco-schemes focus on preserving permanent grassland and preventing intensive farming practices. Organic farming is a major priority: the region expects organic agriculture to cover about 18% of its farmland by 2027, supported by roughly €126 million for the transition and maintenance of organic practices. Wallonia also directs eco-scheme funding toward specific farming systems that strengthen soil health and boost carbon storage. This includes support for multi-species grasslands, which improve soil structure; deep-rooting forage crops, which help store more carbon underground; and crop rotations with soil-enriching species such as legumes. The region also encourages practices that leave more plant cover on fields throughout the year, reducing erosion and increasing organic matter. 

Taken together, these measures are expected to reach a large share of farms. According to Wallonia’s CAP plan, around 68.5% of the region’s agricultural land will be covered by incentives that either reduce emissions or enhance carbon storage, mainly through the maintenance of permanent grasslands, the introduction of biodiversity-rich grassland systems, and the expansion of organic and low-input cropping practices. 

In Flanders, eco-schemes also focus on practical measures that make farming more climate- and nature-friendly. One of the flagship actions is the €35 million buffer-strip scheme, which requires farmers to keep strips of vegetation along watercourses. These strips trap excess nutrients before they enter rivers, reduce soil erosion, and create small but important habitats for pollinators and other wildlife. 

Beyond buffer strips, Flemish farmers can receive support for multiannual grassland, which helps store carbon and stabilise soils; for flower strips, which boost biodiversity and offer food sources for pollinators; and for mechanical weed control, which lowers dependence on herbicides and reduces chemical pressure on soils and waterways. The region also funds the preservation of hedges, tree rows, and other small landscape features, which are valuable for carbon storage and ecological connectivity. 

Flanders uses eco-schemes to accelerate its shift toward organic farming as well. The region plans to expand organic production to more than 31,000 hectares by 2027, a major increase from the roughly 10,000 hectares farmed organically in 2022, and provides targeted payments to help farmers convert to or maintain organic practices. 

Rural Development Investments 

The third major climate lever of the CAP in Belgium is rural development funding. Here, too, environmental action is central. Wallonia devotes 53% of its rural development budget to climate, nature, or environmental goals — well beyond the EU’s 30% minimum. This money helps farms adopt sustainable land management, restore biodiversity, improve water quality, and join cooperative projects that develop new climate-smart tools. 

Flanders invests more than half of its rural development budget — €185 million — in similar priorities, but again with a strong technological angle. Farmers can seek support to install renewable energy systems, buy more modern and efficient machinery, or implement precision and data-driven farming. Nature-based measures also play an important role, such as planting new hedges, creating ponds, or introducing agroforestry systems that both store carbon and improve biodiversity. 

By combining strict baseline standards with region-specific incentives and long-term investments, the CAP provides Belgium with a comprehensive framework to tackle climate change in its agricultural sector. Continued commitment in both Wallonia and Flanders will be essential to building a more resilient, sustainable, and climate-aware future for Belgian farming.