Biterrois Ludovic Aventin: “Let’s save our land from agricultural speculation”

Ludovic Aventin pleads for a “sacralization” of French agricultural land, for future generations. Mélissa Alcoléa – Midi Libre

Ludovic Aventin, founder of Terra Hominis, the first viticulture mission company based in Boujan-sur-Libron, published this Monday, February 5, a column on lemonde.fr entitled "Land control is the sine qua condition not our food sovereignty. He points out the speculative threat to French agricultural land within the framework of the agricultural orientation bill. 

Why this column published in Le Monde ? How was it born ?  

I would like to point out, as a preamble, that Terra Hominis has nothing to gain from this. I am alert on subjects related to "land group" (i.e. techniques for buying land or vineyards). We have a problem in France: we cannot make a public savings offer. And at the same time, we know that there is land to pass on, two-thirds of farmers in France are over 55 years old. 130 billion hectares of leased agricultural land are set to change hands, it’s colossal. A senator, Vanina Paoli-Gagin, proposed creating an agricultural land savings group to allow French citizens to buy agricultural land. The idea is to preserve the nourishing earth. Knowing that we have a French exception: our land is not expensive, on average 6,000 € per hectare.  

So far so good…

She retained an amendment that I proposed to her to encourage the installation of young people. But his text was refused in the Senate. And the "agricultural land savings group" has become "an agricultural land investment group"… But agricultural land does not bring money to the investor. Added value is one thing, profitability another. The government must impose the long-term rural lease otherwise, with the long-term lease, there will be possible workarounds and the amount of the rental can become free… One in five farmers lives below the poverty line: we must not let this happen for generations to come. How to recover the land at a normal price then ? Mother earth becomes a speculative financial product, we do not make it sacred! While this would be an opportunity to forge links between citizens and farmers. If each French person puts 2% of their savings into agricultural land, we are autonomous. 

This is a real warning message that you are sending…

Yes, the goal is to alert. We want to preserve the French exception or turn our lands into financial products ? We have the means to change things! Investors will look for cash crops, they will not be motivated by respect for the environment or the preservation of employment. This is a crucial subject. Let's save our agricultural land from speculation!

What do you plan to do now ?  

I have already been received at the Ministry of Agriculture, about three weeks ago. I will contact deputies and senators, including Henri Cabanel . But I am convinced that change must come from the general public. 

“Hell is paved with good intentions”: extract from the forum

In this column published on le monde.fr, Ludovic Aventin underlines the need to maintain control of land for the food sovereignty of France. And to recall what has already happened over the last 20 years: "33 million hectares in the world, i.e. equivalent of Italy, have changed hands, to the benefit, in the large majority, of large American, Chinese, Brazilian, Malaysian and Cypriot investment fund companies. These investors favored cash crops and, consequently, jeopardized the food security of the geographical areas concerned". "Before this race for land which we can anticipate this time, we must remember the lessons of the past…" "The agricultural orientation bill reminds us that hell is paved with good intentions. By creating a new land portage tool, the ministry's aim was to mobilize the savings of individuals to acquire land and rent it long-term to a farmer. However, the ministry has chosen to name this tool "agricultural land investment group" (GFAI) rather than "agricultural land grouping ’saver&quot ; (GFAE). Far from being a semantic detail, the ministry describes our agricultural land not as a means of securing our food, but as financial products. Which, logically, given the profile of buyers, will call for an increase in farm dividends which will inevitably be passed on to farmers and citizens. While land is the subject of voracious appetites, the message sent is an invitation".

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