But while the soil of the harvested wheat fields is boneless due to the extreme heat of 2022, in the sorghum plot, the leaves are green and the plants bear a full ear. The sorghum fields belong to Eudes Couttes, who beat the heat with the drought-resistant plant. “Growing sorghum is attractive because it brings a new crop, a new way of thinking about agriculture, that moves more toward a sustainable agriculture that preserves future resources.” Location: Saint-Escobille, France Sorghum is a grain that is little known in Europe, but is widely used in other parts of the world and can be an ingredient in gluten-free baking, couscous or even beer. Coutte says the advantages of sorghum are that in much of France it doesn’t need irrigation, it doesn’t need pesticides and it only needs a third of the fertilizer that wheat needs. “It is not a miracle solution, but it is a solution that, among many other things, makes it possible to improve things, to consume less plant protection products, to consume less fertilizers and above all to preserve groundwater and water resources.” But sorghum is not completely immune to drought. Coutte expects to harvest three to four tonnes per hectare this year, compared to five or six tonnes during a normal year. But he says the fact that this yield doesn’t require irrigation is a “competitive advantage” as drought is felt across France, with limited access to water. To make his farm more sustainable, Coutte has invested in his own stone mill. He turns part of his crop into gluten-free sorghum flour. The rest are sold as grains, which can be cooked and eaten like lentils. And more farmers are turning to this crop. French sorghum production rose to nearly 440,000 tonnes in 2021, up from 270,000 tonnes in 2016, according to agriculture ministry data. But gluten-free sorghum is still a niche market in Europe. The story continues EU figures show that only around a quarter of the crop produced across the continent is intended for human consumption. The rest goes to feed. Coutte is working hard to find new markets for her crops. He plans to work with local partners to develop sorghum beer, veggie steaks and other products in the coming years. “Thinking about tomorrow’s agriculture and how we can grow and how we can produce food without mass water use, what are the possibilities, what are the crops we can grow today and what will we have to do in the future, to conserve water resources. “
