Our agriculture has a blind spot: its dependence on fossil fuels makes it one of the first victims of every geopolitical crisis. The closure of the Strait of Hormuz since February 28, 2026, provided a brutal demonstration: oil prices above $100 per barrel, soaring prices of nitrogen fertilizers, blockage of urea and sulfur exports that mainly pass through this region of the world… Breaking free from this dependence is no longer an option. It’s a necessity that we can and must embrace now.
The agricultural sector is the fifth largest energy consumer in France, with a total consumption of 98 terawatt-hours (TWh) when considering direct energy consumption (diesel fuel, electricity, gas) and indirect energy consumption (fertilizers, inputs, and livestock feed). The vast majority of this energy consumption comes, directly or indirectly, from fossil fuel oil and gas.
Behind the numbers lie very concrete realities: non-road diesel fuel that powers tractors, synthetic nitrogen fertilizers produced from natural gas at the heart of cultivation systems, imported food from the other side of the world that feeds farm livestock… This energy dependence, subject to global geopolitical fluctuations, jeopardizes the economy of farms, their capacity to produce, and ultimately, to feed us.
A double exposure to the Hormuz shock
The cost of non-road diesel for plowing and harvesting is soaring, and nitrogen fertilizer prices have more than doubled in just a few days. For large-scale crop farms, the double blow is immediate. They could see their economic burdens increase by €10,000 per operation, which is significant considering the average income of a farm operation, which stands at €32,000.
“It is necessary to rethink our way of producing food and provide farmers with a framework and the means to transition towards energy resilience” – quote.
In a context where instability seems to be becoming the norm, emergency economic solutions are no longer sufficient and will ultimately become too expensive and unsustainable. Rethinking our food production methods and offering farmers a framework and the means to transition towards energy resilience, which increasingly determines their economic stability, is imperative.
The good news is that the transition is not just a pipe dream. It is already underway, and concrete tools exist to facilitate it.
Operational solutions
Regarding fuel, thanks to eco-driving and changes in technical itineraries, such as reduced tillage, significant savings can be achieved.
Concerning fertilizers, nitrogen management tools combined with soil fertility improvement actions and the introduction of legumes can achieve between 20% and 40% of the total potential savings.
Lastly, in animal feed, increased forage autonomy through optimized grass and pasture management, and an increase in legumes in rations can reduce energy consumption by 7% for large-scale crops and 17% for dairy cattle farming.
Financed by energy savings certificates (CEE) in the agriculture sector, the Fabacée program demonstrates tangibly that these levers can be activated on a large scale. Comprising a collective of 140 facilitators, it supports 3,000 farms towards more energy-efficient practices, with a goal of reducing energy consumption by 15% by the end of 2027.
However, the issue of energy dependency cannot be reduced solely to the agricultural production stage, which represents only a quarter of the energy consumption in the food system. It is part of a broader convergence between energy, climate, biodiversity, and health issues that engages the entire food system, from inputs to transformation, transportation, distribution, and consumption methods.
Agricultural energy transition is not a luxury
In this context, the most robust levers are those that combine frugality and system transformation, including the evolution of dietary patterns. Developing more input-autonomous systems like organic farming contributes to this dynamic by structurally reducing dependence on fossil energies and imported inputs.
“By pushing agriculture towards higher yields, drowning our fields in fertilizers, we only reinforce our dependence” – quote.
Climate and environmental issues, economic resilience, and food sovereignty are at the heart of current political concerns. Yet, an agriculture predominantly dependent on fossil fuels cannot guarantee the continuity of its production in prolonged geopolitical crises. By pushing towards higher yields, saturating our fields with fertilizers and mechanization, we ultimately reinforce our dependence.
The situation may be easing at the Strait of Hormuz, but other crises will come. The real question is not when the next crisis will occur, but whether our farms will be prepared to withstand it. Each investment in the energy resilience of farms represents a reduction in exposure to future shocks.
Marc Batty, co-founder of the socially responsible land company FEVE, which mobilizes citizen savings to finance organic farms in France, and Christian Couturier, director of Solagro, an association that promotes the efficient, solidarity, and sustainable management of natural resources.
