French farmers turn to exotic crops amid climate change
Bananas, peanuts and elephant grass make gains in France
Published
A growing number of French farmers are experimenting with more exotic crops in response to climate change and the whims of the market.
The mustard is being grown as a rotation crop, without pesticides, as well as to meet demand for local supplies following a 2022 ‘mustard crisis’, when a poor harvest in Canada saw French supermarket shelves stripped bare by panic-buying shoppers.
The farmer behind the crop, who did not wish to be named, is based in the commune of Challignac in south Charente. He hopes to generate nearly the same amount of money per hectare from mustard as he would from wheat.
“There are lots of people making conserves of all sorts who are looking for local products,” he said. “I am sure I will be able to sell it all.”
On the other side of the commune, another field is dominated by bright green elephant grass, which by mid-July had already reached two metres high.
From mustard fields to elephant grass
The grass (official name Miscanthus × giganteus) is originally from Asia and, like most of the elephant grass now being grown in Europe, is a sterile hybrid.
“It needs just a bit of fertiliser in spring to help it get going,” said the farmer, who also asked not to be named.
“The attraction is that it also needs very little water and grows well on this field, which has always given slightly poorer cereal and sunflower yields than my others.
“I planted the field three years ago and they say it will be good for another 15 years.”
The elephant grass is cut down in either autumn or winter, after the grape harvest and when the machines can still get into the field without being waterlogged.
It is sold to a co-operative in Charente-Maritime, which turns it into wood pellets for heating.
Another exotic crop, peanuts, has been grown on a commercial scale in the commune of Soustons in Landes by the Delest family since the early 1990s.
“Our grandfather was given some peanuts by a neighbour and started growing them in his vegetable garden,” said Melanie Delest, who runs Ferme Darrigade with her brother and a cousin.
“They always did well and were delicious. In the 1990s, we met someone from the Menguy’s snacks company who, with our neighbour Jean-Patrick Lescarboura (a former French international rugby player) helped us with the equipment to try and grow them commercially.”
The farm, which has a light sandy loam soil, now has 38 hectares of peanuts, with yields rivalling farms in the United States.
The entire crop is transformed on the farm and sold through the farm shop and online.
Bananas, peanuts and other climate-friendly alternatives
In Lot-et-Garonne, bananas are being trialled this year by Vanessa and Fabrice Guijarro-Avrand, who are looking to diversify from prune production.
They built a greenhouse over 1.6 hectares, with 30% covered by photovoltaic panels. Inside, three different varieties of bananas have been planted, which should give their first crop in October 2027.
“There are lots of decorative banana trees in gardens, but with the varieties we have and the heat from the greenhouse we should get a decent crop, at least we hope so!” Ms Guijarro-Avrand said.
“It is the fruit everyone in France eats, and we can grow it here now.”
They have also planted kiwis outside and strawberries in another greenhouse, as well as continuing with the plums they turn into prunes.
It is not just the southern half of France experimenting with new crops.
Earlier this year, The Connexion reported how market gardeners in the Côtes-d'Armor department of Brittany had started looking for an alternative crop to grow in their ageing greenhouses built for tomatoes. The changing climate and an explosion in the global price of vanilla provided the answer.
Altogether, in Brittany, around 150 varieties of exotic fruit and vegetables are now being grown, sometimes organically.
And pecan nuts, traditionally associated with the US and warmer climates, are now being grown successfully in northern France, within 100km of Paris.
Although the trees prefer heat, they are able to tolerate the moderately cold winters and temperate summers of the Ile-de-France region. Once established, they require little maintenance.
