On 4 September 2026, France’s Ministry of Agriculture announced the CASI plan—short for Climate, Adaptation, Drought and Wildfires—with more than €1 billion of support. The headline is large, but it does not by itself explain what will reach farms. The total combines several mechanisms: compensation for losses already incurred, temporary relief from some costs, and funding intended to help farms restart the next production cycle.

The announcement came one day after Météo-France published its summer climate assessment. The agency described summer 2026 as France’s hottest since national records began in 1900, with an average temperature of 24.0°C, 3.6°C above normal. Rainfall was about 40% below normal nationwide, and average soil moisture fell to unprecedented levels. Those national indicators show the scale of the hazard, but they do not mean that every farm suffered the same loss.

The key point is that CASI is primarily a repair-and-restart plan. It aims to prevent a failed harvest from forcing a farm out of business or leaving it unable to buy feed, seed and plants for 2027. It is neither a uniform payment to every farmer nor a complete long-term climate adaptation programme.

Why was an emergency plan announced now?

Summer brought three overlapping pressures. Heat increased water needs for crops and livestock. Low rainfall reduced the water available in soils. Wildfires also destroyed crops, fences, buildings and equipment in some areas. The effects differ by region, crop, sowing date, access to irrigation and the ability of each soil to retain water.

Agreste’s latest crop estimates illustrate that uneven picture. In a release updated on 3 September, the public statistics service estimated France’s 2026 grain-maize harvest at 9.0 million tonnes. That would be the lowest output since 1980 and a 35% fall from 2025. The wording matters: this remains a forecast and may be revised. In the same release, overall oilseed production was expected to remain broadly stable because larger planted areas could offset lower yields.

Emergency support therefore has to respond to documented losses rather than apply a national average to every farm. A livestock farmer running out of feed, a vegetable grower whose plants were damaged, and a cereal producer facing lower yields have different costs and different deadlines.

What does the €1 billion actually fund?

The announced total combines budget lines with different purposes. Some compensate damage, while others improve cash flow or temporarily reduce a cost. The figures below are those released by the ministry on 4 September; several are estimates or funding envelopes rather than final expenditure.

1. An estimated €520 million for national solidarity compensation

The largest line is the Indemnité de solidarité nationale, or ISN. The ministry estimates that it will require €520 million and says payments will be accelerated. For insured farmers, the maximum advance has already been increased from 70% to 80% of the projected compensation.

ISN does not automatically cover every decline in yield. It applies when climate-related crop losses exceed thresholds set for each sector. Public solidarity complements insurance for insured crops and provides a more limited safety net for uninsured crops. The €520 million is therefore not divided equally among farms: individual payments depend on recognised losses and the rules that apply to each case.

From the 2027 season, the ministry says the reference period used to calculate yield losses will be extended from five to eight years. The stated aim is to prevent repeated bad years from lowering the historical benchmark too quickly and mechanically reducing future compensation. The practical effect will need to be checked in the implementing rules.

2. €30 million for damage to productive assets

The agricultural disaster scheme will provide €30 million for uninsured “asset losses”. This category covers lasting damage to productive capacity—such as perennial plants, vines or livestock—rather than only a smaller annual harvest. Since the 2023 reform, ISN has replaced the disaster scheme for part of crop-loss compensation, while the older scheme still covers certain losses to productive assets.

3. More than €300 million in property-tax relief

The plan includes more than €300 million in local reductions to the property tax on undeveloped land. This is tax relief, not a direct investment grant. Its effect will depend on each farm’s land arrangements and on how the reduction is passed on when the landowner is not the farmer.

4. A €235 million agricultural restart fund

This fund is intended to help the most affected farms prepare the next season. Managed by regional and departmental prefects, it may support purchases of animal feed, forage, seed, plants and other inputs. A specific component will cover farms affected by wildfires.

This is the part most directly focused on keeping production going. A farm can lose a harvest and then lack the cash to buy the next seed. A livestock producer may need to secure feed months before grass recovers. Bridging that gap is designed to stop the 2026 shock from reducing 2027 production as well.

5. Social contributions, fertiliser and fuel

The ministry is adding €20 million for relief from agricultural social contributions through the MSA, alongside individual payment schedules. Exceptional support for purchases of nitrogen fertiliser is extended to 31 December 2026, with a stated envelope of €145 million, including €38 million in national funds. Support for agricultural off-road diesel—15 cents per litre—is extended through October, for a stated total of €106 million.

Not every measure was created by CASI: some existing schemes are being extended or reinforced. The “more than €1 billion” figure should therefore be read as an aggregate public effort combining projected compensation, tax relief, a restart fund and renewed support—not simply as entirely new cash released on one day.

Who can receive support, and when?

The national announcement sets budgets and directions, but it is not an individual award decision. Eligibility will depend on the type of loss, the crop or livestock sector, the recognised damage, insurance status and local procedures. Farmers will need to follow guidance from their prefecture, departmental land and agriculture services, insurer or approved contact, and the MSA.

For ISN, reporting and assessment remain essential. The 80% advance for insured farmers is based on projected compensation: it provides cash sooner without making the estimate final. For the restart fund, local management means priorities can differ according to sectors and verified damage. The 4 September release does not yet provide a complete timetable for every departmental application window.

Home gardeners are not among the professional agricultural beneficiaries described in the plan. They may still feel indirect effects through the availability or price of some foods, but the plan alone does not justify a precise price forecast.

What emergency funding cannot solve

Emergency aid can keep a farm operating, but it cannot immediately restore soil moisture, a damaged orchard or depleted forage stocks. Nor can it guarantee that the next season will avoid another shock. Météo-France reported that rain in the second half of August brought an uneven improvement, insufficient for a lasting return to normal at the start of autumn.

Two time horizons should be kept separate:

  • emergency response, which compensates part of the loss and prevents production from stopping because cash has run out;
  • adaptation, which changes farming systems to reduce vulnerability to future events.

Depending on the place, adaptation may involve better-suited varieties and calendars, soil cover, more organic matter, hedges, larger forage reserves, better-ventilated buildings, more efficient irrigation where water resources allow it, or more diversified production. No measure works everywhere. Some take years, require substantial investment and must be assessed for their effects on water, biodiversity and farm income.

The ministry refers to existing adaptation programmes, including Agriculture-Méditerranée, orchard renewal, varietal innovation, agricultural water funding and PARSADA. Their effectiveness cannot be judged from this announcement alone. Useful indicators will include payment times, the number of farms supported, production restarted, insurance coverage, feed availability and investments that genuinely reduce exposure to the next shock.

Why local food links matter after an agricultural shock

A national drought produces a patchwork of local outcomes. One area may lose much of its maize while another still has vegetables, fruit or forage available. The CASI release explicitly mentions exchanges between territories for livestock feed. At a smaller scale, knowing what is produced nearby can also help households direct purchases and prevent usable harvests from being wasted.

Seeed enables individuals and producers to give, sell or swap harvests and local products with people around them. It does not replace insurance, public aid or climate adaptation policy. But when a garden or small farm has a surplus despite a difficult season, redistributing it nearby can prevent waste and provide a modest complement to an irregular local supply.

Key points

  • CASI mobilises more than €1 billion, but the total combines different kinds of support.
  • The largest estimate is €520 million for ISN compensation; final spending depends on recognised losses.
  • A locally managed €235 million fund is intended to restart production, including purchases of feed, seed and plants.
  • Emergency measures protect continuity of production; they do not replace long-term adaptation.
  • Local procedures, application dates and actual outcomes still need to be monitored as the plan is implemented.

Photo credit: © European Union, 2022 / Olivier Chassignole—“Drought - France (P-058733-00-08)”, Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY 4.0. Taken near Lyon in August 2022, the photograph shows a maize field affected by drought.

Sources