HASfter ten years of strong growth, the French organic market has been hit hard by inflation. The government has just committed to promoting this sector. But to green French agriculture, it is essential to also help farmers who do not respect the strict specifications of organic to develop their practices, by reconciling productivity – therefore low prices – and environmental protection as best as possible. .
To encourage greener agriculture, the rules have a role to play, of course. Some pesticides are now banned. Ecological planning is also useful; for example, a plan has just been launched to encourage the return of hedges. But encouraging change also means giving farmers who want it organizational resources to be able to change. A subject too often neglected, but crucial.
Our research (thesis defended on September 6, 2023 by Morgane Loquen, under the direction of Laurent Scaringella and Thierry Burger-Helmchen) show in fact that the farmers who are best able to improve their environmental performance are those who, at the same time, manage to maintain a volume of production in line with demand, guaranteeing the economic sustainability of their exploitation, and who, at the same time, take the time to experiment and explore new paths.
Ancestral uses of algae
Encourage among farmers such “ambidexterity”, combining exploitation and exploration capabilities, therefore constitutes a crucial issue for public authorities. How to achieve this? Local, collective initiatives can play a determining role in this regard, as shown in particular by the Breton association Thank you algae !
Harvested on the shores and traditionally spread on the fields in Brittany, algae improved the vitality of the soil until the Second World War and strengthened the defenses of plants against fungi. They contributed to the protection of crops during intense climatic events. Administered in small quantities to livestock and humans, algae also increased their resistance to disease, acting as real anti-infectious agents.
The Breton association’s mission is to revive these ancestral uses, some already mentioned in Chinese manuscripts 5,000 years ago, but swept away since the 1950s by the massive use of synthetic inputs and antibiotics.
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