At a global scale, only 12 grape varieties (representing only 1% of the cultivated varieties available) make up nearly 80% of the vineyards of certain countries. Earlier harvest dates, droughts affecting grape vines, or wines with higher alcohol content, less acidity and new aromatic profiles all show that the winemaking industry is already affected by […]
Whether it be eco-systematic, species-related or genetic, biodiversity is eroding while the number and frequency of extreme meteorological events inherent to climate change is rising across the world. Current studies, which focus on meteorological variations of weak amplitude show that a larger degree of biodiversity contributes to the stability of ecosystems. However, studies relating to […]
Some climate policies targeting agriculture and forests, if they concur to a reduction of food production, could lead to an increase in the price of food products. However, reducing deforestation and increasing carbon sequestration in agricultural soils can strongly reduce greenhouse gas emissions that cause climate change, all while avoiding risks for food security. This […]
It has been close to three months since the launch of the Estates-General of Food, which brings together all of the actors of the agricultural and food industries in France in order to lay out policies of the future. This week, Emmanuel Macron, president of France, gave an important speech laying out his priorities and […]
The French Minister of Agriculture, Stéphane Travert, officially launched the workshops portion of the Estates General of Food (Etats Généraux de l’Alimentation: EGA), launched earlier this year and which will continue into the fall. Since July 20, a dozen ministries involved in this working group worked on three components of the EGA. Fourteen thematic workshops […]
The 13th Conference of the Parties (COP) on the fight against desertification is taking place in China from Sept. 6 to 16, 2017. In preparation for this event, the World Future Council identified, on a planetary scale, the most innovative policies and those best placed to stop soil degradation and desertification. As part of this, […]
How should we prepare for future climate disruptions of agriculture and agricultural water resources over the coming two decades? A team of French senior experts from the Ministry of Agriculture has prepared a report evaluating the different possibilities. The authors looked for answers based on scenarios founded on six case studies in France. In their […]
The selection of project winners for ‘innovative initiatives in agriculture and the food industry’ has been completed. This competition of innovations, organized as part of the investments of the future program of the General Commissariat for Investment (agency under the French Prime Minister’s authority, whose goal is to provide financing for selected innovative projects), allowed […]
In order to reduce the ongoing effects of climate change, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and storing carbon are global objectives of major importance that each level of government nationwide must support. Forests and, more largely, the forest and wood industry are strategic for limiting the effects of climate change, particularly thanks to their ability to […]
In the framework of the national plan against vineyard deterioration (decreasing yields and premature death of the vine due to multiple factors: pest and disease, environmental stress…), nine research projects were chosen for financing by a partnership between the French government and the wine industry. These remarkable, high quality scientific projects distinguished themselves from among […]