A hydraulic development of the Cuers – Pierrefeu plain highly beneficial to farmers

On March 28, elected officials, representatives of the agricultural and wine-growing sectors inaugurated the hydraulic developments that meet the multi-use water needs of a territory marked by episodes of drought. "This 35 km pipeline network makes it possible to sustain agricultural activities, irrigate 500 hectares, supporting 60 farmers and securing the drinking water supply of 66 private individuals. In the future, it will allow for crop diversification and contribute to fire protection. Faced with the challenges of climate change, it is part of the Région's ambitious Plan or bleu, in consultation with the stakeholders of Var Eau 2050," recalled François de Canson, president of Méditerranée Porte des Maures (MPM). Ultimately, it will allow for the irrigation of over 1,000 hectares of the plain.

CONTRASTED TERRITORY

Un aménagement hydraulique de la plaine de Cuers – Pierrefeu très utile aux agriculteurs

In his capacity as vice-president of the Région, he put the context into perspective: "Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur is a contrasted territory from a geographical and demographic point of view. The differences in resources, significant in the north (Alpes du Sud) and limited in the south (basse Provence), are worsened by the existence, in the Mediterranean zone, of a dry summer period. Managing water scarcity and its heterogeneous availability is the history of our region, which has historically suffered from drought and which has deployed human ingenuity to remedy it. It is thanks to a long and laborious liberation from the natural conditions of the territory that we can today welcome the high availability of the water resource for different regional uses. However, the acceleration of climate change puts us back into a necessary dynamic of sobriety, solidarity and innovation, things that we avoided a little for comfort." This project can only see the light of day with the will of the Région, which assumes its leading role. With the Canal de Provence and Europe, 800 million have been invested between 2020 and 2038. Since then, the Région has been the licensing authority of the Canal de Provence. The Département is expected to make additional investments, necessary for real leverage effects, through the Var Eau 2050 strategy. "When the Région and the Département work together, the results are there, and I have no doubt that the Département's commitment to the Région will be total for the proper management of water in our territory. Furthermore, in my capacity as president of MPM, we were pioneers in signing the partnership agreement for the hydraulic development of the Cuers-Pierrefeu plain in 2021. Together with the mayor of Pierrefeu, we were the mavericks who succeeded in convincing the Département to invest for the first time in an agricultural partnership contract. Things seem to have progressed well, and I am delighted. This contract resulted in mixed public-private funding, establishing an innovative and collaborative economic model for the completion of this first phase of hydraulic development," welcomed François de Canson.

In the presence of:

Bénédicte MARTIN, president of the Société du Canal de Provence, vice-president of the Région in charge of agriculture, viticulture, rural affairs and the territory, Véronique BACCINO and Bruno AYCARD, departmental councillors, Patrick MARTINELLI, mayor of Pierrefeudu-Var, Bernard MOUTTET, mayor of Cuers, Sylvain AUDEMARD, president of the Chambre d’agriculture, Éric PASTORINO, president of the Conseil Interprofessionnel des vins de Provence (CIVP), Jean-Luc IVALDI, Director General of the Société du Canal de Provence, Benoît MOREAU, Director of Development of the Société du Canal de Provence et d’aménagement de la région provençale, Delphine BARRIAU, Director General of Services of MPM, and the winegrowers involved in this project.

The funding:

• La Société du Canal de Provence (€3,200,000 or 40% of the project), • The farmers (30% of the amount, or €2,400,000), • The Région (€1,200,000 or 15% of the funding), • Méditerranée Porte des Maures, after deliberation of December 10, 2021 (€700,000, or 8.75% of the amount), • The Département (€500,000, or 6.25% of the funding).