Journalist Amélie Poinssot discusses the survival of the peasant world in a conference-debate in Saint-Affrique

La journaliste Amélie Poinssot rappelle que “d’ici six ans la moitié des agriculteurs seront à la retraite.” MEDIAPART – SEBASTIEN CALVET

Rendez-vous public ce jeudi 20 juin à 18 h 30 au café associatif du Lieu-Dit à Saint Affrique.

Mediapart journalist Amélie Poinssot hosts a debate on the theme of agriculture and presents her investigative book, Who will feed us ? At the heart of the ecological emergency, the peasant revival, this Thursday, June 20 at 6:30 p.m. at the Lieu-Dit associative café. A meeting organized by the cooking collective of the Professional Brevet responsible for agricultural business (BRPEA) from La Cazotte high school.

"Within 6 years, half of farmers will be retired. The renewal of agricultural generations is worrying" indicates Amélie Poinssot. The journalist from Montpellier often stays in Aveyron where she has ties because her great-grandmother was born in Saint-Affrique.

Bleeding of the peasant world

"The last agricultural census of 2020 raised awareness of the importance of the subject" notes Amélie Poinssot, who has been working on the theme of agriculture at Mediapart for five years. Because the picture remains gloomy and the bad news is accumulating, renewal of glyphosate, European halt to the reduction of pesticides, decline in the number of farms… This is evidenced by the figures of the bloodletting of the French peasant world that began at the beginning of the 20th century: four million farms a hundred years ago for less than 400,000 today. A hemorrhage!

In her work, the journalist points the finger at intensive agriculture and cites the worst example, that of Brittany for pig and poultry farms and oversized farms impossible to buy back.& nbsp; She writes that in Aveyron, small farms remain accessible, a reflection to be made on what we want to convey…

Glimmer of hope

"However, a glimmer of hope exists, these are people not from an agricultural background, the NIMA, explains Amélie Poinssot, today the majority among the people who get information from the Chamber of Agriculture. NIMA are integrated into agro-ecological and/or organic schemes with small-scale farms, far from intensive breeding. 

His work is divided into fourteen chapters, each for a corner of France. The penultimate is dedicated to Larzac, a land with an interesting agricultural model because it is more respectful of the land, plantations and people. A meal prepared by the BPREA will follow the discussion (reservation at 07 86 82 61 41).

Amélie Poinssot, Who will feed us – At the heart of the ecological emergency, peasant renewal, Co éditions Solin/Acte Sud. 288 pages, 21 €.