“Today in Wallonia, potato cultivation is almost 40,000 ha and it represents 30% of the use of pesticides for a crop which is almost 90% intended for export in the form of a processed product It is also a major impact on the structure and health of the soil and a desert for biodiversity. Potato cultivation in Wallonia under current conditions is neither sustainable nor local. it is above all the choice of an economic model oriented towards export and not the result of technical or agronomic options”thus denounces Philippe Baret, doctor in agronomy and professor at UCLouvain on the social network Linkedin.
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For its part, Natagora deplores the widespread use in conventional agriculture of products harmful to health, water quality and nature in general. “The main problems related to potato cultivation in Belgium are the enormous and preventive use of pesticides, with obvious impacts on health, water quality and biodiversity. But there is also the enlargement of plots, which also has a strong impact on biodiversity. This is better when there is an ecological network and when the agricultural plots are small, that is to say ideally four or five hectares maximum. Another problem is soil erosion, which is linked to the size of the plots and the fact that the land is worked intensively, which has the effect of mistreating the organic composition of the soil.adds Gaëtan Seny, agricultural advocacy manager at Natagora.
“Like all crops, potatoes require a weeding phase against weeds (the “weeds”, Editor’s note). There is therefore a use of herbicides, but no more than for other crops. Concerning the use of insecticides, it is also comparable to that of other crops. But where it clearly takes off is in terms of fungicides, comments Christophe Vandenberghe, doctor in agronomy and researcher at Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech (ULiège). The potato is very sensitive to a disease which is late blight. If a plot is affected, its yield can drop by 80%. In addition, potatoes affected by late blight rot quickly, making them almost impossible to preserve. Because of this, fungicide treatments are five times more important than in other crops.”
This scientist, however, qualifies Natagora’s position concerning the role of potato crops in terms of erosion, emphasizing that techniques are implemented in the fields to control these risks of erosion as well as that of mudslides.
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Current thoughts
Aware of these failings and limitations, the potato industry is examining its conscience. This was precisely the subject of a day of reflection organized last November by the Walloon Agricultural Research Center (CRA-W). “Many processing plants owned by the industry are developing on Belgian territory, but we find ourselves in a very intensive model and we will not be able to change this reality overnight. Our concern as a research center is therefore to sound the alarm to economic players: if we want to continue to produce potatoes in the future, we will have to define practices that are less demanding in terms of phytosanitary products and which help maintain soil fertility. This notably involves developing new varieties that are more resistant to diseases and which also meet the quality criteria set by the industry. But we will also have to respond to other challenges such as the conservation of potatoes and rising energy costs.explains Jean-Pierre Goffart, deputy general director of CRA-W.
“In the next fifteen to twenty years, practices will change significantly. We absolutely must get out of our system that is too dependent on chemicals. It’s a race against time and the challenges are numerous. If we want sustainable agriculture in our regions, we must think about it all together”emphasizes M. Goffart.
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There will always be fries
Potato growers are already choosing to do without pesticides. This is the case of Bernard Broeckart, farmer in Dour. “My farm has been in organic farming since 1975. We therefore do not use pesticides, but we work on less sensitive varieties and on crop rotation. Unfortunately, when the weather is bad like in 2021 and 2024, we do not We don’t get there 100% and there are yield losses, but I am convinced of the need to produce less and better. year. It’s a question of respect for nature and life. And don’t let anyone tell me that Belgium will die of hunger if we stop using pesticides. there will always be fries in our fries shacks. It just involves a change of habit.” believes the farmer.
However, some experts, such as Christophe Vandenberghe, believe that doing without pesticides entirely is not a realistic option. “Without phytosanitary products, there would be much greater fluctuations in production linked to climatic hazards. In a market economy where prices are set by supply and demand, it is customary to put forward the following observation: when the imbalance between supply and demand is of the order of a percent, the price varies about 10%. What would happen if the imbalance was of the order of 20%, 50%? Both for the producer and the consumer, such variations would hardly be comfortable.”
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