Withered crops, soil cracked due to the lack of water… France has been experiencing a particularly intense drought for several weeks. And farmers are suffering the heavy consequences. "We are taking exceptional measures to support farmers faced with repeated episodes of drought," said Julien Denormandie. The Minister of Agriculture confirmed that a "significant part" of the agricultural component of the economic stimulus plan to be announced on August 25 will be devoted to "the adaptation of our crops to climate change". "For all the departments that may come under the agricultural calamity", the minister indicated that he would be "very vigilant" so that the farmers concerned can benefit from it.
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With the drought, "an economic disaster"
Julien Denormandie has therefore announced a battery of measures and if we do not yet know exactly how much it will amount to, it is already perceived as a breath of fresh air for farmers. "It is an inflow of money that will allow us to pay our supplies and our charges for the coming year", explains at the microphone of Europe 1 a farmer in the Yvelines. He was severely affected by the drought: "The corn is not very high (...) it makes at least 50% of losses", he laments, qualifying the situation of "economic disaster".
Immediate aid will be accompanied by long-term measures. For the government, the objective is twofold: to help French farms while adapting them to climate change. For Patrick, a breeder in Alsace, the country is on the right track. In particular, he would like the arrangement of water structures to be simplified.
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"This year, we had excess water and nothing is able to absorb it so if we could store some of it, we could reuse it for our irrigations, that would be really good," he explains at the microphone Europe 1. Farmers and the government are also considering another avenue: the development of plants that are more resistant to heat and require less water.