Agriculture: the challenge of green growth
Launch in Haute-Normandie of a network dedicated to biomaterials, bioenergy and green chemistry.
This network, which will be used to promote non-food agricultural production (flax, rapeseed, hemp, miscanthus, etc.) has been called "Novéa". It will be officially launched on Thursday September 10, 2009 in Giverny, in the Eure region, in the presence of Bruno Lemaire, Minister of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries.
In Haute-Normandie, 15% of agricultural land is devoted to crops that have non-food valuations. With flax, composite materials are produced, which are used in particular in the automotive industry. With rapeseed, we make oil; it is also part of the composition of the diester, which is an agrofuel. Another plant that can be used as fuel: miscanthus, which has the advantage of producing a lot of biomass, and of being economical in inputs. Hemp, on the other hand, can turn into an excellent insulator for buildings (hemp wool).
The rise of these “agroresources” is part of the logic of sustainable development and renewable energies.
The ambition of the “Novéa” network is to assert Haute-Normandie as a key player in innovation around biomass. The objective is to support and accelerate research and development initiatives around these new sectors, by bringing together the players in these sectors, by supporting local projects, and by building an image of the region's performance in these areas. .
The “Novéa” network is supported by the Chambers of Agriculture of Eure and Seine-Maritime, the Regional Federation of Agricultural Cooperatives of Haute-Normandie, the two unions FRSEA Haute-Normandie and Jeunes Agriculteurs de Haute-Normandie, Crédit Agricole Normandie Seine, the AGRINOVATECH technology transfer unit, and the Eure “Enterprises and Territories” interconsular association. It should involve, by developing, industrialists, researchers and local communities.
Source: France3 Upper Normandy