A land-based bioeconomy, enabling farming resilience

Résumé

Some players in the farming world (farmers, agri-food and agro-industry companies, interbranch organizations) have been involved in the bioeconomy (biobased economy) for several decades. Successful industry projects have demonstrated the complementarity and interdependence of food and non-food uses for agricultural biomass. Biorefineries (as synergies between agriculture and industry) have been set up, often with the help of major investments by the farming community, and cooperatives in particular. Biofuels (biodiesel and bioethanol) are examples of structured value chains, combining food and feed uses with bioenergy. More recently, agricultural digesters have developed as small biorefineries in “local supply chains”, directly involving farmers in biogas production and with a circular dimension of returning the digestate to the soil.

Building on these experiences, players in the agricultural world, and farmers in particular, now need to strengthen and diversify their participation in the circular and territorial bioeconomy, to address the challenges that are accumulating. It is not only a question of food security and sovereignty, but also of energy and industry sovereignty in the context of geopolitical instability, decarbonization of the economy to tackle climate change, the challenge ok making professions attractive as the farming community declines, and losing meaningful work, questioned by the society.

A successful “bioeconomic transition” is therefore possible, but only under a number of conditions. Firstly, public incentives need to be more consistent with one another and with biomass availability. Incentives for the production and consumption of biomaterials and biobased molecules need to be strengthened, for example by highlighting the intrinsic properties provided by local agricultural biomass, and by informing consumers of these characteristics. In addition, research and development must be stepped up in terms of technological and functional innovation, to make biobased products more competitive with oil-based products. Secondly, the demand for agricultural biomass is strong to decarbonize the economy as a whole and we will have to assume to increase the production of biomass identified as a priority, under certain conditions and in certain areas. For example, we need to give preference to productive crops with multiple uses (food and non-food) on fertile land, in order to respond simultaneously to several strategic challenges (food and industrial sovereignty in particular).

Farmers need to consider the bio-economic transition as a business strategy, elaborated with the relevant economic, financial, legal and human support, and in line with the local agronomic, soil, climatic industrial and geographical specificities. As a catchment area, it must have a local industrial demand (biorefinery) for processing and a societal demand (urban district) for at least part of the final consumption of biobased products, materials or energy. In addition, it is not just the processing of agricultural biomass that should generate value for farmers, through collective initiatives, but also the ecosystem services provided by virtuous production practices, if they are recognized as such because they are quantified with validated methods (Payments for Environmental Services, carbon credits, regenerative agriculture premiums, etc.). The compass farm managers need to help them make choices will have to be based on a decision-making tool made up of financial and extra-financial accounting indicators. This tool will be particularly useful in the context of the implementation of the European Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD). The multiperformance of farm businesses engaged in a circular and territorial bioeconomy can be a source of resilience, under these conditions.