Elisabeth Borne arrived Monday, February 27 at the Agricultural Show for a scheduled visit of about ten hours, two days after Emmanuel Macron’s long stroll at Porte de Versailles. The event is an essential point of contact between the political power and French agriculture which, if it experiences difficulties, remains the first in Europe.
► 81.6 billion euros in production
French agriculture weighed in 2021 81.6 billion euros, including 70 billion in exports. France remains the main European producer with 17% of the continent’s total production, ahead of Germany and Italy.
However, national agriculture is losing momentum. In 2021, it imported 63 billion euros of agricultural products, i.e. 2.2 times more than in 2000. A development that is all the more alarming since the war in Ukraine has revealed the importance of food sovereignty.
► 49% of the territory used for agriculture
Utilized agricultural area (UAA), which includes “arable land (including temporary pasture, fallow land, crops under cover, family gardens, etc.), surfaces still under grass and permanent crops (vineyards, orchards, etc.)”, according to the definition of INSEE, represents 49% of the territory, according to the website of the Ministry of Agriculture, or 26.7 million hectares.
Depending on the region, the share of this UAA may be higher or lower. As it does not include woods and forests, it represents only 1% of Guyana’s territory, which is 90% covered by trees. Conversely, this figure reaches 68% in Normandy.
At the national level, arable crops (cereals, potatoes, etc.) cover 48% of the UAA, crops intended for animal feed 47%, permanent crops (such as vineyards and orchards) 4% and other crops (fruits and vegetables, flowers, etc.) 1%.
► 390,000 farms in France
France currently has 390,000 farms, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, 100,000 less than ten years ago. This decrease does not correspond to a fall in production but to an increased concentration of land: the average surface area of a farm today is 69 hectares, compared to 55 in 2010 and less than 20 in 1970. In the United States, this figure reaches 178 hectares, compared to 81 in the United Kingdom.
If it continues, the decline in the number of farms will slow down: between 2010 and 2020, 2.3% of French farms disappeared, compared to 3% between 2000 and 2010. In 1970, France still had nearly 1.6 million farms.
► 12% organic farms, an increase of 162%
The number of organic farms has increased by 162% in France between 2010 and 2020. The share of land reserved for organic farming has tripled, rising from 4% to 12%. The farmers who work there are on average younger and more qualified than their counterparts in conventional agriculture. Organic farms are slightly smaller on average than the others (61 hectares). In all, 2.5 million hectares are devoted to organic farming in France.
► 759,000 farmers
According to the most recent figures, 759,000 people are in permanent employment in the agricultural sector. This figure has decreased by 12% between 2010 and 2020. Nearly 60% of farm managers and co-farmers are aged 50 or over, compared to 52% in 2010. “This shows a certain aging of the agricultural population”recognizes the Ministry of Agriculture.
The share of women at the head of French farms has stabilized at 27%. The ministry affirmed its intention to make the profession more attractive for women and young people in order to allow “the renewal of generations”.