In Le Luc, agriculture faces climate change

At the Luc cinema, the AMAP Cœur du Var and the Les Résilients association presented the film La Théorie du Boxeur , directed by Nathanaël Coste. In his investigation, the geographer meets organic and conventional farmers. He highlights their different approaches to their methods of working the land. This is a crucial subject at a time when agriculture is facing numerous challenges, such as climate change, which is a major concern for the future of humanity, with issues for food security, the environment, biodiversity, and health.

Key figures from the film

The film's themes revolve around water and its management. For example, it takes 70 liters of water to produce one apple, 900 liters to produce 1 kg of corn, and 1,350 liters to produce 1 kg of wheat. This represents approximately 3,000 liters of water per day to feed a single person.

In the food system, the path of products from producer to consumer also poses a problem. Hence the clash of ideas between the long supply chains advocated by large retailers and short supply chains that address climate change but cannot solve everything. As an example of this food resilience, 30,000 heavy goods vehicles transport food in France every day—85% of our food purchases concern six large retailers.

Among the other topics covered, this survey raises concerns about the gradual loss of biodiversity due to climate change, particularly with the destruction of natural animal habitats and the use of phytosanitary products. In light of this observation, a reflection is being asked about the future of our agriculture with an agri-food system that is at its wit's end. Fertility problems, food waste estimated at a third of the quantities produced, difficulty for a (growing) part of the population to feed themselves properly... There are only 400,000 farmers left and 50% of them will retire in the next 10 years.

After the screening of the film, four local producers came to talk about their working methods and answered various questions.

The general reaction of the speakers and the audience was one of gloom and questioning about the future of agriculture. They also regretted that this documentary did not delve into the political aspect, which is an important lever for responding to the consequences of climate change.