HOMECERES is one of the winners of the “Territorial Demonstrators of Agricultural and Food Transitions” programme (France 2030). Spearheaded by Euralis, the project involves five pilot member farms chosen by the cooperative. The project is currently in the maturation phase and is being supported by the Banque des Territoires on behalf of the French government. Here is an update on the current status of the system.
Led by Euralis, CERES is a public-institutional-private joint venture involving the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, the Pyrénées Atlantiques department, the Pau-Béarn-Pyrénées urban community, Wiuz, INRAE, Terres Inovia, Bordeaux Sciences Agro and Toulouse INP ENSA.
Its ambition: to develop an agricultural model using new agro-ecological solutions and practices, ensuring that they are deployed on a large scale in key geographical areas of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in Southwest France. To achieve this, CERES focuses on environmental, economic and social challenges, and addresses two major issues: where can we find a social, economic and agro-ecological balance across an area with several different cropping systems, types of farming businesses and sectors? And how can we start rolling out new agro-ecological practices on 400 farms, involving all stakeholders in the area?
At the core of the project: pilot farms selected by Euralis
Euralis has undertaken to set up a network of five pilot farms already identified across the department: EARL Lausi in Lons, EARL Candouat in Viellenave-d’Arthez, EARL Hourat in Mont-Disse, EARL Emmanuel Recalde in Béhasque-Lapiste and EARL François Brunet in Ger.
These five farms met for an initial work session in mid-December. Each of them, on the local scale, will address various economic, social, agronomic and generational renewal challenges, all of which are major. These include issues such as improving organic matter levels, optimising irrigation, controlling soil erosion, reducing the use of chemical fertilizers, increasing habitats and reducing the TFI. To achieve this, various solutions will be combined, including new cropping systems, agrosupply, alternative techniques and precision farming.
Project sequencing: maturation phase underway
The CERES maturation phase will end in September 2025. “We will then enter the 5-year completion phase of the project”, says Claude Carniel, who is in charge of implementing CERES at Euralis. “We’ve taken an important first step as we’ve completed the administrative part and our financing plan has been validated by the Banque des Territoires.
We’re proud to be one of the first winning projects to obtain this approval. We are currently in the structuring and planning phase,” explains Claude Carniel.
“Euralis is the leader in several work ‘packages’: the choice of pilot farms, the new consulting model, the dissemination of recommendations and results, and finally, project management. As such, we’re organising steering committees that include a representative from each project partner. Each of these partners is mobilized according to their expertise, and is responsible for different work packages including data intelligence and organisational innovation.” The cooperative will therefore be reworking the content of its consulting and services and optimising their roll-out across its territories.
Next key milestone: September 2025
The next major milestone will come in September 2025, when a commitment committee will meet to validate the roadmap, including the projected budget and timetable for implementing the project. The stakes are high, as this will mark the start of the additional financing granted by France 2030, amounting to 50% of the total cost of the project. 300,000 euros have already been granted to the project partners, and the project will be eligible for a contribution from France 2030 of between 2 and 10 million euros over the next 5 years for its operational phase.
The CERES project in figures
8 partners
5 pilot farms
400 farms to be eventually rolled out
Projects divided into 9 work packages, with 1 leader for each package
Involvement of 1 entire area, the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department
Project duration: maturation phase + implementation = 18 months + 5 years