“He who does not notice the change is in denial. » When we ask the question of the impact of climate change on agricultural activity, Laurent Rouyer, a farmer in Meurthe-et-Moselle, offers us a straightforward answer. If agricultural activity is, by its nature, dependent on weather hazards, the latter are more and more marked. He continues: “We are constantly in excess, whether it is too much water or drought. » Of the ” excess “ become his daily life and whose recurrence he has noticed for around ten years now. At the head of a farm of four partners in mixed farming, the president of the Meurthe-et-Moselle Chamber of Agriculture explains to us how he protects himself from risks.
On paper, “everything is insurable”he explains. However, he points out the lack of coherence in this system. “The administration bases itself on calendar dates while we, farmers, work according to the weather. » If certain derogatory systems exist in order to offer “more latitude” to the latter, they are still too few and insufficient. “The major concern is based on the reference principle of exploitation, established in the first years on a regional or even departmental average. » It is then this same reference, established by crop groups, which will define the level of compensation guaranteed when taking out insurance. “If you don't encounter climatic hazards, your average remains more or less stable. On the other hand, if during the insurance period you are faced with weather risks, your reference for the crop concerned drops. » But now, after three or even four years in a row with bad weather conditions “complicated”the trigger thresholds have been considerably lowered. “Now, it almost has to be a catastrophe to trigger your insurance system. »
Loss of interest
As a result, the insurance system loses its interest over the years, due to the recurrence of these climatic hazards even though it is precisely in the sharing of risks, based on the principle of pooling, that it finds its full meaning. . Especially since the CAP reform provides that if there is an insurance system, national solidarity is no longer exercised “whether you subscribe to it or not”.
Indeed, until recently, the regime of “agricultural calamities” provided for compensation financed by the National Agricultural Risk Management Fund (FNGRA) for agricultural operations having suffered a loss of harvest or a loss of funds following certain exceptional climatic episodes. It thus constituted a safety net for farmers by compensating part of the material damage considered uninsurable. Device since stopped. A decision that “in turn, calls into question our production model”. Faced with these changes, Laurent Rouyer therefore chose to no longer insure his crops for around four years. “I no longer had any economic interest in doing it. »
New tools
So to protect itself, the agricultural world is trying to adapt as best as possible. “Within the Meurthe-et-Moselle Chamber of Agriculture, we have developed a range of measurement tools in order to understand these new parameters. » These are also new models of agriculture that are developing in the fields. “Right now, we are experimenting with what we call “backdoor” crops. » In other words, sequential, fast-growing crops grown between two successive annual main crops. “This practice has three advantages: the production of additional fodder for animals, soil enrichment and nitrogen capture. » For several years now, he himself has integrated new crops on his farm such as sunflowers, alfalfa and even clover. “We are thinking about a global operating system including all these hazards to anticipate as much as possible. »
