A small seed gave birth to humanity.

But in 2022, both are suffering.

Faced with global warming, and its corollary, drought, agriculture must adapt, starting with the seeds that form the basis of our diet.

In Charly (Rhône), the CRBA (Resource Center for Applied Botany) has been working on this subject for about ten years.

Today, thanks to the metropolis of Lyon, he manages the first seed farm, an experimental center dedicated to the collection, study and production of plant varieties capable of resisting global warming.

And to promote the short circuit, by offering the said seeds to local producers.

Under study, varieties of Chartreuse… and Russia

Charly's farm has 3,000 m2 of land, tools "to extract the seeds, harvest, clean the seeds", freezers and storage cabinets, "and a laboratory to carry out germination tests" , explains Stéphane Crozat, director of the CRBA.

It presents a greenhouse where melons and an ancient vegetable have just been planted: Roman gourds from Ain.

"We are working on varieties of local origin, which offer different genetic resources to find ways to adapt to global warming", he summarizes, such as the bean-meat, very rich in protein, found in Chartreuse.

The other varieties are up for exploration: “We have varieties of tomatoes, eggplants, cucumbers and watermelons that come from Dagestan, in southern Russia, where the temperature range is -20°C + 53 °C.

»

A future network to increase our food autonomy

The Charly seed farm is only the first of a network created "to develop local agriculture adapted to climate change", specifies Bruno Bernard, president of the metropolis, who recalls that "the food autonomy of our territory does not is only 5%”.

The agricultural and food issue is "essential for the metropolis of Lyon, which for two years has taken care of everything, from the seed to the plate", he adds.

Another issue is that of “no longer leaving agriculture under the control of multinational seed companies from whom the producer buys sterile seeds”.

In addition, "a virtuous agriculture also creates more jobs, it pays its farmers better, and in the end, on the plate, we have a better product", remarks Bruno Bernard.

A project that delights market gardeners and starred chefs

Vincent Gaillot, market gardener partner of the CRBA, agrees: “For us producers, the interest is to be able to offer local consumers products that we no longer see anywhere.

“He presents in a basket six varieties of zucchini “not formatted, each of which has its characteristics, a taste, a different use.

We try to cultivate with less water and more natural mulch, which also nourishes the soil.

»

The son of market gardeners himself, the starred chef Christian Têtedoie collaborated with the CRBA, by participating in a selection of varieties of old seeds.

"I wondered how, as a father, citizen, and leader, I could take concrete action to protect our land and preserve biodiversity," he says.

“It is essential for me to pass on to future generations a know-how and a land that can continue to nourish them healthily.

And for my clients, it is by tasting all the nuances of the same variety that the notion of biodiversity will take on concrete meaning.

»

Planet

Glyphosate: Farmer sentenced for contaminating beekeeper's honey

Planet

Toulouse: Fruits and vegetables growing on columns?

Here is the first aeroponic farm in Occitanie

  • Agriculture

  • Farmers

  • Global warming

  • Feed

  • Fruits and vegetables

  • Lyons

  • Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes

  • Planet