French cereal farmers are exploring sorghum as part of their response to increasingly hot and dry growing conditions, highlighting how a crop deeply rooted in African agriculture could play a greater role in Europe's climate-adaptation strategies.

RFI reports that repeated heatwaves and drought have severely affected European maize production in 2026. Against this backdrop, some French farmers are experimenting with sorghum, which generally has lower water requirements and greater tolerance of hot, dry conditions than maize.

Interest in the crop has already expanded substantially. According to figures cited in the report, France cultivated around 103,000 hectares of sorghum in 2024, making it Europe's largest producer. Cultivation has gradually increased over approximately 15 years as farmers investigate crops better suited to changing growing conditions.

In Essonne, south of Paris, farmer Eudes Coutté is cultivating a four-hectare sorghum plot. He began investigating alternative crops after considering how climate change could affect the long-term viability of his farming operation. Fellow farmer Ludovic Joiris, who has worked with Coutté for three years, is also experimenting with the crop while practising soil-conservation agriculture.

Sorghum's physiology helps explain the growing interest. Its root system can extend deep into the soil, improving access to available moisture. CIRAD says sorghum generally requires less water than maize and can tolerate extreme heat, potentially delivering more stable production under severe climatic stress.

However, the French experience also demonstrates an important limitation: drought resilience does not mean drought immunity. RFI observed that three exceptionally dry months had still damaged parts of the sorghum crop. French agronomy institute ARVALIS similarly notes that sorghum remains vulnerable to severe water stress during important developmental stages.

The second challenge is economic. French farmers interviewed by RFI said expanding sorghum acreage requires stronger demand from livestock producers, food manufacturers and consumers. At present, the crop is not sufficiently profitable for the featured growers to depend on sorghum alone.

That makes the French experiment particularly relevant to the global sorghum industry. Climate adaptation may create new agronomic opportunities for the cereal, but establishing processing infrastructure, consumer markets and commercially viable value chains will be equally important if sorghum is to gain a larger place in European agriculture.