History is reinventing itself every day contrary to common beliefs. The vanquished of yesterday made the mistake of being right too soon. Agriculture is no exception. It was René Dumont who was pleading the case for agronomy in the face of chemical industrialists, the biologist Rachel Carson publishing “Silent Spring” in the United States in 1962 exposing the danger of pesticides. It is in this encouraging environment that agricultural and the food supply sectors are reinventing themselves.
History is reinventing itself every day contrary to common beliefs. The vanquished of yesterday made the mistake of being right too soon. Agriculture is no exception. It was René Dumont who was pleading the case for agronomy in the face of chemical industrialists, the biologist Rachel Carson publishing “Silent Spring” in the United States in 1962 exposing the danger of pesticides. It is in this encouraging environment that agricultural and the food supply sectors are reinventing themselves. Everything has a role to play: the environmental concerns of the consumers, climate change, everyone now has an appetite for products that are organic, locally produced and subject to the notion of fair trade. French agriculture is in no position to feed the world, but it can now rely on the latest innovations. In fifteen years, the Germans and the Spanish have seen their exports expand twice as rapidly as those of French firms. Food production has become a political and fiscal issue.
Start-up companies are now designing drones and robots for the future, recreating a link between consumers and manufacturers. There are so many new ideas and projects taking shape. Agriculture has an exciting future.