What agriculture for a sustainable food production? An interview with Guillaume Chartier, farmer.

Guillaume Chartier is a farmer in Oise, in the Hauts-de-France county of France. He decided to focus on sustainable agriculture, while developing a renewable gas production activity using methanization. Why? What does this entail in practice? Here is his story.
 

What agricultural production practices do you employ on your land? 

I chose sustainable agriculture for its stated ambition: to feed people while at the same time respecting the environment. It is based on a set of specifications consisting of a hundred or so rules, in particular, concerning the reduction of phytosanitary product use. For this reason, I do not systematically resort to these products. When I can avoid them, such as in weeding for example, I use mechanical solutions. Should the need arise, if pests or diseases threaten my crops, I will use them with the assistance of decision support tools that enable me to employ them at the right place and at the right time. With a connected weather station, satellite, and drone observations, I can closely monitor the health status of my crops and the contamination risks, so that I can spray my fields only when necessary. Alongside my work as a farmer, I am also an ” energy producer ” by means of methanization. We embarked on this project six years ago with other farmers near my property. Through the use of the methanization process, we produce renewable biogas from organic plant matter. 

Why sustainable agriculture over organic agriculture? 

Sustainable agriculture better meets the specific characteristics of my farm, the organization of the plots, the characteristics of the soil, and the climate. Moreover, sustainable agriculture is less affected by unforeseen events and diseases than organic agriculture. It enables increased production capacity, particularly in the context of high levels of humidity, as has been the case this year. We have been dealing with quite a bit of disease and weeds on our plants. Our sustainable approach makes it possible for us to target our treatment efforts to save our crops and maintain our production. In my opinion, there is not one, but rather several agricultural models for sustainable food. Not all consumers can afford to buy organic… As a general rule, these products are more expensive than those produced by conventional and sustainable agriculture because the yields are more limited.  

How would you define sustainable food and how do you propose contributing to it?

I believe agriculture should be able to feed the greatest number of people with healthy, quality food while respecting the environment. This is the whole point of my commitment to sustainable agriculture. I work with short supply chains so as to limit the environmental impact of transportation. My farm is located less than 50 km from Paris. The wheat is transformed into flour by the Grands Moulins de Paris, kneaded, and sold in Parisian bakeries. The second pillar of my activity, methanization, provides renewable biogas to the neighboring villages.  

These local channels are truly beneficial for each link in the production chain, from the farmer to the consumer, as well as for the planet as a whole.