France has become the leading European exporter of maize, which occupies around 10% of its useful agricultural area.

Primarily intended for animal feed - grain maize for poultry, sheep and pigs;

fodder maize for cattle - it has established itself in regions such as the plain of Alsace or the Landes.

Cultivated from the 17th century in France, corn was "first confined to the South-West, the hottest and wettest region of France", conditions which are favorable to it, tells AFP Christian Huyghe, Scientific Director Agriculture of the National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and the Environment (Inrae).

It was thanks to hybridization work "at the end of the 1940s", that the tropical plant was able to reach "slightly cooler climates", he continues.

From the end of the 1960s, harvested areas exploded, according to data from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

Today the cultivation of maize represents nearly 3 million hectares, out of the 28 million hectares of agricultural land in the country.

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Until the 1970s, cows were fed pasture in summer and hay, straw or grass silage in winter (to keep the grass moist), recalls the scientist, agricultural engineer.

The Livestock Revolution

"And the corn has arrived, with suitable machines, forage harvesters (which) make it possible to make large volumes of stocks which are easily stored, are made very quickly and in a single harvest" against several for grass, he continues. .

This "total revolution" has greatly simplified the breeder's life.

Corn is however low in protein and it was necessary to import soybean meal to supplement the feed given to the animals, explains Christian Huyghe.

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But in times of summer drought, which will intensify with global warming, "an emblematic variety, corn, raises questions", raises Agnès Ducharne, researcher at the CNRS.

"To finish its growth and make valuable agricultural production, it needs water in July and August, the months when there is less in France", she underlines.

This raises the question of "reducing the share of corn in French agriculture for crops more adapted to summer drought", continues Agnès Ducharne, specialist in the water cycle and the impacts of climate change.

The problem with growing maize is that it requires water at a time when the springs are not overflowing.

For it to have a good yield, its irrigation is necessary but "which production system makes it possible to be the most resilient? And does corn have a place in this?"

asks Christian Huyghe.

For him, "corn will be part of the panoply", but "its share will rather be reduced" in the future, which will force the animal feed market to reorganize.

“To be resilient, a system must be diverse,” he insists.

“An investment trajectory that would lead to maximizing corn crops” by ensuring their watering with large water reserves “would weaken the system”, he warns.

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More broadly, the production of meat, via intensive farming, has more environmental impacts than that of other food products, according to scientific studies.

NGOs therefore advocate reducing meat consumption and favoring the breeding of grass-fed cattle.

© 2022 AFP