“In the face of drought, diversity and adaptation are our best assets. »

In mainland France, it had not rained so little for the month of May since 1958. Less than 30 millimetres. That is a deficit of 65% on average. Only the Alpine departments were spared. As a result, the soils dried up again. On the whole territory. So the current situation corresponds to what we are more used to encountering… at the end of July!

“The numbers are impressivecomments for us Chantal Gascuel. Agriculture is in danger. » But before continuing, the research director at the National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and the Environment (Inrae) would like to emphasize that the danger does not only come from the drought. “Unfortunately, it’s not just that. There are also episodes of rain or seasonal shifts, for example. That’s why it’s better to talk about climate change. Because the term “warming” is reductive. It does not capture all the challenges agriculture faces. With changes not only in the amplitude of the phenomena, but also in their temporality. » Thus this year, a particularly intense and extremely early drought.

“Animals and plants are capable of adapting to a climate. But not when the changes are so brutal”, continues Chantal Gascuel. In this case, they need help. “The idea here is to make our agriculture less dependent on water. To enable it to resist drought. » To achieve this, researchers from Inrae rely above all on agroecology. On nature-based solutions, in short. “We are going to turn to animals and plants that are better able to withstand the stress. And at the heart of the strategy, there is diversification. Within the plot, within the landscape. So that, in a context of variability, species not all face the same stress at the same time. Diversity is a real asset. »

Diversification at the heart of the fight against climate change

And in the range of possibilities, theagroforestry – referred to in the Mag Futura – is a bit of a textbook case. Because it is easy to understand that the trees planted in or at the edge of the field will not draw water from the same depth as the crops. “The idea of ​​diversifying crops in the same field is the same. That each plant can seek its resources from different places in the soil”explains Chantal Gascuel.

The other interest of agroforestry systems is the positive interactions that develop between trees, crops and animals. Crops or animals will benefit from the shade provided by trees, for example.

More adapted species

The other concern of researchers is to find varieties or species better adapted to the new meteorological conditions of a region. At Inrae, the phenotyping activity, for example, is significant. Understand, Resource Exploration genetic existing. “The idea is to subject plants – or associations of plants and/or animals – to stress and to try to identify which resist and under what conditions. The task is difficult. And we’re far from done.”, explains the research director of Inrae. Because the pool of plants to explore in the world is huge.

In this context, what is the place of genetic manipulation? From the temptation to create from scratch new species adapted to new weather situation? “Today, we have mainly developed large phenotyping platforms for tomatoes, for wheat or for others. Because we are convinced that existing genetic resources have enormous potential for adapting agriculture to climate change»insists Chantal Gascuel.

An adaptation that spreads over time

And speaking of adaptation, it is also interesting to understand that the solutions studied by the researchers do not all target the same time horizon. In the short term, there are all these solutions that can be described as incremental. The shift in sowing time is one of them. Just like the improvement of irrigation systems. “We can speak here of agriculture of resilience, in which we change our state of mind. Where we used to bring water to make the plants grow better, we will bring it tomorrow to enable them to better overcome an episode of drought. » Consequence: yields which could certainly fall over a given year, but which would be less variable on average over time.

For the medium term, researchers are working on more systemic adaptation solutions. More engaging. Which introduce diversity, in particular. Transformative adaptations are envisaged to overcome the crisis in the long term. But beware, this does not mean that you have to wait to hire them. “Agriculture is so sensitive to climate change that the longer it delays its adaptation, the harder it will be for it to resist. In the Paris basin, for example, we are already seeing fields of lavender . It’s transformative. But it will take time. The step is taken now to reap the benefits later”, explains Chantal Gascuel. So in the field, what we observe most often is ultimately a combination of varied solutions that address different time scales.

A responsibility to assume?

What makes the response of the agricultural sector to climate change even more complex. But full of resources. As shown by the BAG’AGES project, developed in the South-West. It highlights conservation agriculture and seems to want to show that a combination of no tillage, soil cover and diversification allows soils to store between 10 and 15% more water per compared to what conventional agriculture allows. “This combination works in the local context. Elsewhere, other solutions can help nibble small percentages based on geographic or historical contexts or crop, soil or climate contexts”emphasizes Chantal Gascuel once again.

A major consumer of water, agriculture today faces the need for profound change. It will have to participate in collective efforts to save water. Reduce your needs. “Even though the rise in temperatures would cause plants to consume even more water”, points out the deputy research director of the Environment department at Inrae. Because one thing remains certain: to grow, a plant needs water. “Agriculture, for example, has fewer opportunities for recycling than industry. Because water is consumed by plants. But there are undeniable margins of progress. And its mutation, agriculture must operate it as much for itself, to ensure its sustainabilitythat for save waterfor the good of all. »