How can Europe’s farmers stay resilient as climate, markets, and diets continue to shift? That question brought together more than 50 farmers, business leaders, and researchers at the Farm Adaptation Summit 2025, a full-day event hosted by the Farm Adaptation Network (FAN) in Copenhagen. It took place the day after the groundbreaking Plant Food EU Summit and was designed to zoom in on what the food system transition means for farmers.

Attendees came from Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Germany, the UK, the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Switzerland, Austria and Israel, reflecting the growing urgency — and opportunity — to build agricultural systems that are both environmentally and economically resilient.

The Summit spotlighted pioneering farmers from Denmark and Germany, who are rethinking production around plant-rich models and new income diversification strategies. Farming organisations such as Organic Denmark and Landbrug & Fødevarer, and livestock farmers from countries such as the Netherlands and the UK joined key business actors including Oatly, Donau Soja, Compass Group, and Rewe Group, alongside researchers from ETH Zürich, the University of Bremen, and the Stockholm Environment Institute.

Throughout the day, participants tackled concrete challenges such as improving farmer resilience, unlocking finance for adaptation, scaling markets for plant-based proteins, and aligning research and policy to deliver practical, farm-level solutions.

“The fishbowl sessions really encouraged honest discussion, and what stood out is how pragmatic everyone was. We weren’t just talking; we were focusing on how to build business models that actually work in the long run,” said Aurélie Tournan, Managing Director at Donau Soja.

The Summit also marked the launch of the first part of the European Strategic Blueprint for Farm Adaptation, mapping barriers and solutions for accelerating adaptation across Europe.

“Farmers are already driving change, but they need supportive ecosystems to make it viable,” said Patricia Sundstrom, President of the Farm Adaptation Network. “This Summit showed how collaboration between farmers, businesses and researchers can turn resilience into reality.”

Building on the Summit’s momentum, FAN is now advancing new country initiatives — including the Great British Plant-Rich Plan to develop a UK-wide framework supporting farmer diversification, Path to Plant Profits in Denmark to pilot finance models for low-carbon transitions, and Adaptation in Action in France to showcase farm innovation and train advisers in diversification towards plant-rich production models.

Boilerplate

The Farm Adaptation Network (FAN) is a European nonprofit dedicated to future-proofing farmers in the agricultural transition. Founded in 2024 by Patricia Sundstrom, Silvère Dumazel, and Kerri Waters, FAN creates business, policy, and network opportunities that enable a just and farmer-led shift toward plant-rich and diversified food systems. Through partnerships across Denmark, France, and the UK, FAN supports farmers in securing offtake for new crops, improving access to capital, and influencing policies that foster resilient, sustainable agriculture. By connecting farmers, researchers, NGOs, and businesses, FAN builds bridges across sectors, facilitates research and training, and champions solutions that keep farmers at the heart of Europe’s transition toward a more sustainable and equitable food future.