Why isn’t organic sugar beet growing faster in France?

Less than 0.5%! In 2020, less than 0.5% of French sugar beets were grown in organic farming, according to the ITB (Technical Institute of Beets). In question ? Too strong technical and economic constraints. But also beliefs. Because if “going organic” is sometimes an ecological commitment, not doing so can be synonymous with pride. ” I don’t blush for my practices “, abounds Guillaume Wullens, who cultivates 20 hectares of sugar beets in conventional in the Pas-de-Calais. ” Not everything is perfect in conventional but not everything is perfect in organic either adds the farmer. A point on which Arnaud Rousselat, labeled AB since 2020, will not contradict him.

The latter made this conversion process for his health and for environmental reasons. But Arnaud Rousselat likes to recall his “ great respect for his conventional colleagues. Especially since ” organic beets are a very risky crop “, he underlines. Tomorrow, if this culture became more dangerous than profitable, he would stop ” like rapeseed this year “. Since everything is a question of economic balance. In the case of sugar beets, the main challenge is weed control. In conventional, pesticides make it possible to eliminate weedsthese “bad herbs which compete with cultivated plants and reduce yields. In organic, weeding must be manual or mechanical. And this is where the situation gets tricky.

Too many herbs

In the region of Guillaume Wullens, the weather is too wet to weed mechanically. If he had to give up the weedkillers chemicals, he would have difficulty doing mechanical interventions in some years “, he believes. The risk ? Losing control of weeds. What can have a big impact on yield, since these plants draw on the same stock of soil resources as beets. At the end of the chain, beets harvested with too many unwanted weeds will be refused by the sugar factory with which the farmer has a delivery contract. Too complex to handle.

But these technical difficulties are stimulating for Arnaud Rousselat. Because this culture expresses really the technique of the farmer behind “. Difficult to grow, delicate to carry out, greedy in investments both to equip oneself and to remunerate the workforce… ” The most expensive is the seasonal labor that is used at the end of the crop, to manually pull out the weeds in the beets. “, he reports.

Once these parameters have been taken into account, there remains the management of the stress. Without recourse to chemistry of synthesis, organic farming is more subject to the weather report and the climate. With a impact weed growth and pest control. From there, the desires diverge. Each person has a more or less strong aversion to risk. Since theAgriculture does not escape the logic of profitability. A farm is still a business.

A company run by a human person with all that that implies emotionally. Sensitive to the environment, both at the level of the profession and of civil society », the conventional sector is seeing its practices evolve, testifies Guillaume Wullens. Not without a certain bitterness “, because the ambient discourse tells him that he is doing ” bad job “. ” We are taken away from techniques, materials active, we are talking about taxing thenitrogen. But we are not given any alternative. If there was a better valuation of our products… But there is no promise at this level. Any. »

And the pests?

At the start of the season, Arnaud Rousselat devoted eighteen hectares to these beets. Only thirteen will yield a harvest. Atomarians, a species of small beetles, infested the missing five hectares. ” We couldn’t do anything “, he laments. And that was only the beginning. others insects are and will burst into his field. In particular the aphidswhether or not they are vectors of jaundice. To fight against, ” we try to make the plant as unattractive as possible », thanks to fermented extracts of other plants. ” What are commonly called slurry. »

Arnaud Rousselat has several strings to his bow. These slurries, but also bacteria that he produces on his farm before putting them in his soil, garlic decoctions, essential oilsand one more unexpected thing: thehomeopathy. ” For me, it’s important to maintain a balance. That’s what I do with homeopathy. I try to induce insect information to preserve balances and above all not to destroy them. Sometimes the result can be worse than the insect we had, if we destroy a balance. »

By the expression ” induce information », the beet tree refers to the memory of water. This hypothesis stipulates that water retains the memory of the substances it has encountered, and therefore of their properties. It is sometimes raised as an argument in favor of homeopathy. ” This goes completely against my training in agronomy “, recognizes Arnaud Rousselat. And for good reason, since theemergence of this idea in 1988, no study recognized by the scientific community has found any evidence in its direction. To this day, the water memory hypothesis is considered disproved.

On the conventional side, this year sees the return of neonicotinoids. From insecticides used in seed coating. ” Half of my beet area is sown without neonicotinoidsexplains Guillaume Wullens. It is a technical choice because, with the use of neonicotinoids, there are restrictions for crop succession. [les espèces qui remplaceront la betterave après récolte, sur la même parcelle, ndlr]. Everything about flowering plants is two years later. To have some freedom in my crop rotation, I do not put neonicotinoids on some of my beets. »

Experience matters a lot. Through observation, Guillaume Wullens knows if his beets have a problem. He applies almost exclusively treatments in curativerarely in prevention. ” For insecticides, we wait until there are insects. For diseases, we wait until there are some. For weeds, we look at what there is. If I put a [produit en prévention]it is because I know my plot and I know that there is such a problem. If necessary, he can call the ITB to be referred. ” We are still well supervised confirms Arnaud Rousselat, before also listing the CGB (General Confederation of beet growers) and the technical services of the sugar companies.

At the end

After some seven months of growth, the sugar beets are harvested. September to January “says Guillaume Wullens. Although the best of kidnappings » takes place around October-November, when the plant is big enough to give enough sugar, but still not too difficult to pull out so as not to damage the field. ” There are kidnapping schedules, it’s everyone’s turn. Depending on the surface, one can be removed in four or five times. I have three different dates. »

The crops then go to the factory, to be transformed into different products according to the contracts signed by the farmer. Because it is indeed contracts, supports Arnaud Rousselat. Whether conventional or organic. Economically, it would be a error “that all French agriculture be organic, ” since that would amount to breaking the market “. But also ” because you have to be ready for this transition. Arnaud Rousselat is convinced of this: “ We must not oppose conventional beets and organic beets. There are things to bring to each other, through exchange and cooperation, rather than through opposition. To say “my system is the best“, it won’t do anything. »

Article produced in partnership with the AIBS teams