Food sovereignty has now emerged as a major strategic issue for European economies. Long taken for granted in a country such as France, historically one of the world’s leading agricultural powers, this concept has returned to the forefront of debate in the wake of the successie crises that have marked recent years.
A global pandemic, the war in Ukraine, geopolitical tensions over raw materials, logistical disruptions and rising energy costs have starkly highlighted the fragility of food supply chains. Against this backdrop, the question of a country’s ability to sustainably ensure its food production has once again become central.
This issue is even more strategic given that the agri-food sector is one of the pillars of the French economy.
The sector is now the country’s leading industrial sector, with over 500,000 direct jobs and around 17,000 businesses spread across the country, according to recent data from INSEE (2024) and ANIA: Key Figures for the Agri-Food Industry 2023–2024. It generates nearly €200 billion in annual turnover and plays a decisive role in the economic balance of the regions.
An agricultural powerhouse facing strategic dependencies
Despite the strength of its agricultural and agri-food sectors, France remains dependent on certain resources that are essential to its food system: exports of agricultural and agri-food products reached around €82 billion in 2024 (FranceAgriMer), confirming the sector’s strategic role in the national economy despite an unstable international context.
One of the most significant dependencies concerns plant proteins used for animal feed. Today, nearly 50% of the proteins consumed by French livestock farms are imported, particularly in the form of soya from South America. Nitrogen fertilisers, which are essential for agricultural production, also represent a point of vulnerability. As their manufacture is closely linked to gas prices, energy crises can have a direct impact on agricultural production costs.
An international environment marked by uncertainty
The globalisation of food supply chains has long enabled companies to optimise costs and secure access to certain resources. But it has also created new dependencies. These dependencies exist within an environment where supply chains are increasingly interconnected and vulnerable to external shocks. Tensions in global agricultural markets, price volatility and logistical disruptions make securing strategic resources particularly complex.
Food sovereignty as a leadership challenge
In the face of these changes, food sovereignty extends far beyond the realm of public policy. It is also becoming a governance issue for agri-food companies. Today, business leaders must anticipate more complex risks and steer industrial transformations in an uncertain environment. This requires rethinking certain traditional approaches to sourcing, investment and organisation.
Diversifying supply sources, for example, is a key lever for reducing dependencies. Some companies are also investing in the partial relocation of certain activities or in developing strategic partnerships with their suppliers. At the same time, innovation and industrial modernisation play a key role in improving the productivity and flexibility of production lines.
Talent at the heart of organisational transformation
Against this backdrop of transformation, the human dimension is becoming a key driver of competitiveness for agri-food companies. The growing complexity of industrial, regulatory and technological challenges requires increasingly specialised skills, particularly in the areas of supply chain management, production, research and development, and industrial processing.
Companies must therefore strengthen their management teams and attract candidates capable of steering these transformations over the long term. The ability to build complementary teams, combining strategic vision with operational expertise, is now a key factor for success.
Towards food sovereignty based on resilience
Food sovereignty is not merely a matter of national self-sufficiency. It rests, above all, on a food system’s ability to withstand shocks and adapt to an uncertain environment.
In this context, organisations capable of anticipating market developments, investing in innovation and building strong leadership teams will be better positioned to meet the challenges ahead.
Consequently, food sovereignty thus emerges as a strategic issue at the intersection of economic, industrial, and human dimensions. For leaders in the agri-food sector, it represents both a major challenge and an opportunity for the sustainable transformation of organisations.