Alexia | Co-founder and CEO of NeoFarm

This interview was originally published in issue 25 of Émile, published in June 2022.

IN 2013, YOU GRADUATED FROM THE MASTER'S DEGREE IN FINANCE AND STRATEGY AT SCIENCES PO. AFTER SEVERAL YEARS IN CSR CONSULTING AND PARTICIPATORY FINANCE, YOU CREATED NEOFARM. HOW DID YOU BECOME INVOLVED IN ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND AGRICULTURE?

I have always been sensitive to environmental and food issues. As a child, I spent a lot of time in the countryside. At Sciences Po, I created an association to promote access to better quality products for students. At the same time, I developed a strong interest in technology, which led me to follow the Entrepreneurship course at Sciences Po in my last year of study. After a few years in large companies, I wanted to start my own. Agriculture, apart from being an exciting sector, has a key role to play in the response to the climate crisis. It produces 20% of France's greenhouse gas emissions while being its main victim. I, therefore, decided to launch the NeoFarm project by bringing together these different interests.

IN ADDITION TO YOUR DEGREE IN POLITICAL SCIENCE, YOU HAVE A VOCATIONAL DIPLOMA IN AGRICULTURAL BUSINESS MANAGEMENT. WHY DID YOU DO THIS TRAINING?

People often think that agriculture is a closed sector, accessible only to the children and grandchildren of market gardeners. However, I believe that anyone interested in food and environmental issues should be able to project themselves into these professions because they are where it all begins. The reality is that they are very unattractive, only 1% of the population works in them and half of the farmers will retire by 2030. It, therefore, seemed essential to me to train to take over. As a result, I'm very lucky to have a double degree in Sciences Po-Market gardening! With NeoFarm, I hope to inspire others to do the same.

NEOFARM IS PRESENTED AS THE FARM OF THE FUTURE, WHICH IS BOTH ECOLOGICAL, LOCALLY BASED AND ECONOMICALLY PROFITABLE, THANKS TO THE USE OF TECHNOLOGY. WHAT IS YOUR PRODUCTION MODEL?

It is based on the alliance between agroecology and technology. The first consists of producing by relying on the services provided by natural ecosystems. In concrete terms, our farms are based on different operating areas (in greenhouses or in the open field) which are surrounded by a great deal of biodiversity made up of ponds, flower strips or hedgerows. This diversity acts as a crop helper and ensures the resilience of our farms. Agroecology is very productive on small surfaces, so our farms are spread over one or two hectares. This fits perfectly with our desire to be close to urban centres. The second aspect, technology, makes it possible to optimize this agricultural model by relieving farmers of tedious and low-value-added tasks. The farms are equipped with an automated gantry that moves over the crops and can perform a dozen tasks, such as preparing the soil, weeding, or planting. This time saving allows the farmer to focus on more delicate tasks and to concentrate on knowing his ecosystems, customers, and suppliers. The management of NeoFarm farms also involves an application... Yes, the data that the market gardener collects on his farm throughout the day is centralised in an application. This data is very varied, ranging from the state of a plantation to a lack of inputs [elements added to the soil to improve crop yields, editor's note] or a pest invasion. The application processes this data through ERP software, which makes it possible to monitor the evolution of the crops and to plan the various deadlines of the farm. Being a farmer means doing 20 jobs at the same time! Thanks to this application system, the market gardener can delegate some of his many tasks, particularly management activities.

YOU ADDRESS LOCAL AUTHORITIES AND INDIVIDUALS WISHING TO IMPLEMENT THE NEOFARM MODEL. HOW DO YOU SUPPORT THEM IN THE DEPLOYMENT OF THEIR OPERATIONS?

We do our utmost to facilitate the work of our partners according to their expectations. Some are already established and want to diversify and become more resilient, others are starting from scratch. In all cases, we ensure the design, installation and configuration of the infrastructure according to the territory and we provide the appropriate technological solution. We recruit the teams and train them in agroecological and technological practices. Once the farm is up and running, we also offer support that can range from farm supervision to occasional help with tool maintenance or administrative management.

TODAY, NEARLY 12% OF FARMERS PRODUCE ORGANICALLY, BUT CONSUMPTION IS STILL CONDITIONED BY PRICES THAT ARE CONSIDERABLY HIGHER THAN THOSE FOR CONVENTIONALLY PRODUCED PRODUCTS1. HOW DO YOU RESPOND TO THIS INHERENT DIFFICULTY IN THE ORGANIC SECTOR?

We have aligned ourselves with the price of organic products. This has a cost, that of the fair remuneration of our producers. Thanks to our model, they are paid twice as much as the sector, while enjoying the stability of a permanent contract and defined working hours. That said, the issue of accessibility is central. First of all, it means distributing our products via short circuits, at markets or on the farm, and giving preference to partners such as La Vie Claire or the Biocoop network in nearby towns. It also involves increasing production and volume effects thanks to technology, and deploying our model on a larger scale. Our long-term objective is to network the territory by clusters of farms in order to pool equipment and skills. We could then produce for mass distribution or collective catering and reach a wider public of consumers.

YOUR MODEL GOES AGAINST THE GENERAL TREND IN AGRICULTURE. HOW HAS IT BEEN RECEIVED?

Quite well! We have won several awards and distinctions, notably from Bpifrance, the Île-de-France Region, Ademe and the Ministry of Ecological Transition. We are at the heart of the challenges of the third agricultural revolution and surrounded by all the players who are concerned about it. A first round of funding [2.5 million euros, editor's note] enabled us to start deploying our model at the end of 2020. We have initiated a second round in April 2022, in order to accelerate our development by exporting and multiplying our model. We want to intensify our sales in France and why not in Europe. Eventually, more than 20,000 farms could be installed or supported by NeoFarm.