"From blade of grass to cheese"

The production of Salers, Cantal and other typical French PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) cheeses will have to be "rethought", predicts Christophe Chassard, researcher at Inrae (National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and Agriculture). 'environment).

Because if the grass no longer grows, farmers have no choice but to request a derogation from the strict specifications of their appellation.

This winter, in the Massif Central, the cows that produce Fourme d'Ambert thus consumed up to 20% of fodder outside the geographical area of ​​the PDO.

If this happens every year, a Fourme d'Ambert will no longer really be a Fourme d'Ambert, according to the specifications currently in force.

Inrae is thus looking for "solutions (...) from the blade of grass to the cheese", and even further upstream, to adapt the specifications while ensuring that "the heart of the product as well as its quality" is preserved.

The researchers are working on several avenues, from microbial mixtures to keep the tastes and textures of cheeses, to genetic selection to find breeds of cows that are less sensitive to heat.

Seeds of the future

"On your marks, get set, harvest!".

On the National Forestry Office (ONF) side, children arm themselves with wooden tongs to catch acorns scattered in front of them in a given time.

The manager of the 11 million hectares of public forest wanted this year to raise awareness among the youngest about the collection of seeds, necessary for the reforestation of forests hard hit by diseases favored by climate change: since 2018, this decline has concerned 300,000 hectares, or "30 times the surface of Paris".

Another workshop challenges children to associate three seeds with a growing tree: a sequoia, an oak or an Atlas cedar.

Species from various regions of France or the world which are currently being tested in the forest on small areas, the "islands of the future", to see if they will be able to adapt to the climate of tomorrow.

Super varietals

The French Institute of Vine and Wine (IFV) has decided to present old or hybrid grape varieties that will be more resistant to the environmental upheavals that the wine world will undergo.

The taste of a cheese, the nature of a wine or the face of a forest: climate change does not spare agriculture © JEFF PACHOUD / AFP/Archives

These "future" grape varieties will play "the match against climate change", explains to visitors Taran Limousin, engineer at the IFV.

Several varieties already have advantages, he says, citing Assyrtiko, an ancient grape variety from Greece that is not afraid of drought, or the young red Sirano, an American-European hybrid that is not afraid of mildew and powdery mildew, two vine pests.

In 2021, heavy rains, frosts and episodes of hail had ravaged part of the French and European vineyards.

Last summer, drought and scorching heat led several Bordeaux AOCs (Appellations d'origine controlée) to irrigate their plots, by derogation.

Five Star Round Table

To talk about "agriculture and climate", the AgroParisTech school has chosen to receive researchers from the IPCC or the agroclimatologist Serge Zaka.

Despite the climatic upheavals, agriculture has "a lot" of solutions in order to continue to feed humanity, according to the scientist.

For example, solar panels to "shade the soil" and keep it moist, or digital "alert" devices allowing farmers to anticipate extreme weather events, he says.

Another solution will be to "mix varieties", such as several kinds of soft wheat with different characteristics on the same plot, to secure a minimum yield.

Because "the summer of 2022 was not a UFO, but a palpable foretaste of what awaits us", warns Nathalie de Noblet, director of research at the Atomic Energy Commission.

© 2023 AFP