Can France really feed France?

There will therefore be no cows or poultry at the 2026 International Agricultural Show, for health reasons. But between the tasting stands and the round tables should continue to circulate an expression which has crystallized the debates for more than two years: food sovereignty.

Certainly, “Ferme France” remains the first in Europe. It produces more soft wheat, potatoes, cheese and even sunflowers than necessary for its needs. It benefits from a temperate climate and strong food potential: it has 4,300 m² of land available per inhabitant, which is more than enough to feed one person (around 4,000 m² under the current diet).

But this power rests on an increasingly fragile balance. Climate change is making production more unpredictable: excess water reduced soft wheat production by 26% in 2024, while the heat waves of the previous year led to severe losses among market gardeners and livestock.

Furthermore, certain sectors are increasing their dependence on the outside world. France thus imports half of the fruits and vegetables consumed, around 60% of sheep meat, 25% of beef. Half of the chicken comes from elsewhere: Poland, Ukraine, Brazil. “In 2025, exports increased by 2%, while imports jumped by almost 9%,” underlines Thierry Pouch, chief economist at Chambers of Agriculture France.

The reason: the emergence of new agricultural powers where production costs are much lower than in France. And consumption habits oriented towards processed food where the origin of the products does not appear.

A situation which mobilizes the FNSEA, the main agricultural union. “In 2017, in his Rungis speech, the President of the Republic defended the move upmarket in French agriculture,” explains Yannick Fialip, breeder in Haute-Loire and president of the FNSEA economics commission. But it is not organic or Label Rouge products that the French eat on a daily basis. Our country must take back the entry-level markets. To do this, we must give ourselves the means to produce more by reducing standards. »

Productivist model

Message heard from the government side. He announced for March an “agricultural emergency law” which aims to ease environmental procedures, particularly on nitrates (linked to the use of nitrogen fertilizers) and on access to water. It comes a few months after the adoption in Parliament of the Duplomb law, which facilitates the expansion of livestock buildings and water storage projects, such as megabasins.

So many choices which mark clear support for the productivist agricultural model developed in France since the post-war period. But is he really in favor of greater food sovereignty? Cakes, these protein foods used in intensive French livestock farming (poultry, pork, milk, etc.), are still largely composed of soya from South America. As for fertilizers, they require massive imports of mineral nitrogen.

“In 2022, France imported more than 80% of its fertilizers, a large part of which comes from countries outside the European Union, creating a double dependence: on third countries and on fossil fuels which are used to manufacture mineral fertilizers,” underlines a government report. A fragility at a time when geopolitical tensions are increasing and can destabilize these strategic supplies.

Agroecology, yes but

To free themselves from these dependencies, some are looking towards agroecology, which seeks to do without chemical inputs by relying on the functionalities of ecosystems. “We buy organic manure in Brittany, we plant alfalfa which naturally fertilizes the soil,” says Benoît Lonqueu, from the Chat Blanc farm, in Maves (Loir-et-Cher). After starting conventionally, he now cultivates cereals and legumes organically, then transforms them into pasta, sold in the Centre-Val de Loire region.

Numerous studies show that these practices sustainably preserve soil fertility and reduce dependence on fertilizers and pesticides. But their generalization raises concrete questions. Running farms requires more labor, and the products from these sectors remain more expensive for the consumer.

The transition itself represents an economic risk for farmers, with several years required before stabilizing their production system. Above all, France does not think in a vacuum: in an open European agricultural market, its competitors are not all committing to these practices at the same pace.

The capacity of agroecology to feed 68 million inhabitants therefore depends on major political decisions – reorientation of public aid, support for new sectors, evolution of eating habits -, otherwise at the risk of increasing dependence on imports.

These arbitrations are not only played out in Brussels or Paris. They are already taking shape on the ground, based on local ecosystems and the uniqueness of territories. This is the whole point of the 450 territorial food projects (PAT) that France has today.

In Blois (Loir-et-Cher) and its surroundings, the PAT du Pays des châteaux has supported various projects which consolidate sustainable agriculture in the region: supplying collective catering, introducing local products into food aid, etc. “We are in the process of creating a local organic bread industry,” explains the director of the Pays des Châteaux joint union, Xavier Laurière-Tharaud. It will respond to a demand from residents while providing an outlet for farmers. »

A return to sobriety

This territory has also innovated by creating a local food council, which brings together agricultural, health, environmental, social and even tourism stakeholders. This council, for example, voted to distribute an envelope of 30,000 euros for projects carried out by residents. Among them: the citizen grocery store located in the heart of the village of Cheverny (Loir-et-Cher).

On this Friday evening, members come to buy eggs, cheese, vegetables, jams. “We have developed a supply network with 20 producers located a maximum of thirty minutes by car from here,” explains founder Suzel Harauchamps. The goal is to be more robust in the event of a crisis. And to question our eating habits: we can live with what is sold here but that requires a form of sobriety, because the choice is much more limited than in the supermarket. »

The approach also makes sense for farmers: “It’s great to see people taking control of their food,” says Laurent Ducrot in his 10 ha orchard in Montprès-Chambord, just before dropping off two crates of organic apples at the grocery store. By meeting them, I realize why I get up early in the morning: to feed them. »