TESTIMONIALS. Is low-carbon agriculture still possible? 7,700 farmers consulted throughout France

A report from the think tank The Shift Project, published on November 28, reveals the paths and difficulties of the ecological transition facing agriculture, to preserve farmers' income while stopping endangering the environment.

How will we eat tomorrow? While the National Assembly has just rejected the free trade treaty with Mercosur, and farmers are once again demonstrating to warn of the fragility of their sectors, the issue seems far removed from everyday life.

And yet: between catastrophic climate collapse and chemicals whose dangerous nature we are only beginning to recognize, the in-depth transformation of the agri-food industry seems inevitable. The only problem: the way to achieve this transition towards a model which, at a minimum, no longer destroys nature and does not threaten the health of consumers, is far from obvious.

It is to answer this question that the association The Shift Project has consulted more than 7,700 farmers since June, and is publishing a report on their feedback on November 28. Among them, some have started a transition towards a virtuous model, while others have not yet taken the plunge. Still others are looking for themselves, sometimes forced to turn back by the law of the market and the lack of support.

This is the case of Stéphane Malot, dairy farmer in Saint-Quentin-sur-Indrois, between Loches and Chenonceau. With 110 cows and 220 hectares of crops for their food, he switched to organic in 2018, in the hope of getting a better price for his milk. “We wanted to sell dearly so as not to have to live on aid“, he explains. “It didn't work. We remain hyper dependent on aid. We have very big variations from one year to the next, it is impossible to secure the system.“

If purchasing power had remained constant, we would have stayed organic.

Stéphane Malot, dairy farmer

Indeed, since then, costs have exploded, and organic consumption is at half mast. The annual consumption of non-road diesel (NGR) for its agricultural machinery increased from 25,000 to 35,000 liters and organic feeding of animals has become extremely complicated while profitability has declined. In 2025, its operation will therefore return to “conventional”.

Returning to organic in the future? Very little for him. In addition to the excess work and the questionable profitability, the breeder ended up having enough of the strict organic specifications. “The inspectors spend a monstrous amount of time bothering us for details, for an erasure on a label”he gets annoyed.

If she had to do it again, Sophie Siméant would not hesitate to take the plunge towards more responsible agriculture. Established for 12 years in field crops in Corbeilles, in the Loiret, its farm joined forces with another family farm to create SAS Graines au vent, in 2019. In 2019, the company diversified and chose to carry out processing (she sells her own pasta) and uses dried vegetables.

This operation has at least two advantages, she explains, “on the one hand there is the agronomic interest: the rotation reduces parasites, or in any case avoids concentrating them by growing only one plant“And on the other hand, the valorization of its products allows it”to go directly to the consumer, and to set our prices“.

However, “when we see the time we spend there, and the profitability, we wonder if we weren't better employees!” notes Sophie Siméant. For her, the current structure of French agriculture makes any attempt at transformation difficult and often risky. “The market conditions of French agriculture do not allow players to get involved in it“, she believes.

It’s taking a risk. When we go organic we get into trouble!

Sophie Siméant, farmer

This experience is confirmed in the data. According to the consultation carried out by the Shift Project, only 7% of farmers say they do not want to engage in the transition, but 87% set a financial condition to engage in it or accelerate it.

Not to mention the hot news of the treaty with Mercosur, which threatens to bring cheaper products to the French market, and not subject to these same regulations. “Let's not import agriculture that we don't want to produce“, says Stéphane Malot, quoting a slogan read on one of the tractors mobilized against this treaty. “We cannot be competitive against people who do not have the same rules and produce things that we would not accept in our diet.“, adds Sophé Siméant.

In fact, the transition is a risky affair, and generalizing it proves difficult. Thus, in terms of impact on the environment, “the technical alternatives are ambivalent: non-polluting mechanical work contributes to soil erosion, has an impact on soil fauna and consumes more fuel, while the use of chemistry, which consumes less energy, presents risks of toxicity for the user and biodiversity“, summarizes the report.

The ideal of organic conservation agriculture is difficult to implement, or even impossible for certain productions

Report of The Shift Project, 28 November 2024

So how do we get out of the impasse? This is precisely the goal that The Shift Project set itself with the major consultation launched in June, supplemented by 70 qualitative interviews. The report published on November 28 explores several scenarios for 2050, all of which require significant planning and ambitious objectives.

Ultimately, the main goal will be to reconcile food sovereignty, less energy dependence and maintaining export capacities. Reducing or even eliminating dependence on fossil fuels is, for example, an objective that “seems achievable by 2050, in particular with the use of biofuels“, say the authors, for example.

On the other hand, this will only happen by financially supporting the transition with massive investments, and by regulating the market. Quite the opposite of deregulation which lets distributors make the law on prices. Administrative simplification and strengthening of public procurement are also important levers to secure farmers.

It must be said that in the eyes of the vast majority of farmers, successive governments have not delivered. 86% of them ask for example “that the national objectives of French agriculture be clarified“. “We make patches to calm people down“, believes Sophie Siméant. “But if we want to preserve agriculture, we must remove it from these market logics.“

In fact, if all farmers agree to change the system, the face of a finally transformed agriculture is far from consensus. “The question is how we move to an operation with a lower impact on the environment, while continuing to make a living from our profession.“, summarizes the farmer.

“Agriculture, to be sustainable, must learn to leave cover and soil all the time, and limit pesticide interventions.“, adds Stéphane Malot. “Living soils.“However, even with the best will in the world, operators are still quickly caught up by the reality of the market and the weight of regulations.