Presentation
This study is part of the “Carbon Think 2” project run jointly by the Terrasolis and IDDRI. it focuses on the terms and conditions for an economically viable low-carbon transition that is attractive to operators at all levels of the industry. It outlines concrete transformations of production tools in the field crop sector in Champagne-Ardenne between now and 2035, in a trajectory compatible with the objective set by the second iteration of the National Low-Carbon Strategy of halving emissions from the agricultural sector by 2050; while placing these decarbonization efforts within a multi-dimensional logic (mitigation, adaptation, employment, income).
Key Messages
- This study focuses on the low-carbon transition of the field crop sector in Champagne-Ardenne, with a view to putting this sector on track to meet the greenhouse gas reduction targets assigned to it on a national scale.
- The process used with local stakeholders involved the following three stages:
o The ownership of and commitment to national targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions;
o Carrying out a diagnostic of the industry in Champagne-Ardenne, based in particular on the views of local experts;
o Discussing the levers that can be mobilized by local players.
- The scenario developed is characterized by a search for compromise between economic feasibility and environmental ambition. It is based on:
o Maintaining the main products for the region's industrial base, given its competitiveness;
o Reducing part of the area planted with crops exported outside the region (wheat, barley, rapeseed), in order to meet the need for diversification into legumes and low-input crops;
o Significant efficiency gains in the use of mineral nitrogen.
- However, if we are to pursue a trajectory that is fully compatible with national objectives for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, as well as with adaptation and biodiversity protection objectives, we need to go further with the proposed changes.
