The CSI Guests Seminar welcomes
Jean-Noël Jouzel (CSO) and Giovanni Prete (IRIS)
to discuss their book
L’agriculture empoisonnée
Le long combat des victimes des pesticides
Introduction to the discussion by Isaac Bariller
Quatrième de couverture : Le 19 mars 2011, une dizaine d’agriculteurs se retrouvent à Ruffec. Ils sont accueillis sur l’exploitation céréalière de Paul François, atteint de troubles neurologiques à la suite d’une intoxication par un herbicide sept ans plus tôt. Les autres agriculteurs présents souffrent également de pathologies chroniques lourdes. Ce jour-là est créée Phyto-victimes, première association française d’agriculteurs victimes des pesticides. Rien ne prédisposait ces exploitants, partie prenante d’un système agricole fondé sur l’utilisation massive de produits phytosanitaires, à s’engager dans une telle action collective. Ce livre, fruit d’une enquête menée pendant plus de dix ans, raconte leur difficile cheminement pour se dire victime et obtenir réparation. Il pointe le rôle décisif joué par les proches familiaux mais aussi l’importance des alliés objectifs dans la mobilisation, médecins, syndicalistes, militants environnementalistes, avocats, journalistes, scientifiques, issus de mondes parfois très distants les uns des autres. À travers cette histoire à la fois intime et politique, il montre les effets sur le long terme d’une agriculture intensive toujours dominante aujourd’hui.
Poisoned agriculture. The long struggle of pesticide victims
On 19 March 2011, a dozen farmers gathered in Ruffec. They were welcomed at the grain farm of Paul François, who developed neurological disorders seven years earlier after being poisoned by herbicides. The other farmers present were also suffering from serious chronic conditions. On that day, Phyto-Victimes, France’s first association of farmers affected by pesticides, was formed. These farmers, who are part of an agricultural system based on the extensive use of phytosanitary products, were not predisposed to engage in such collective action. The result of an investigation spanning more than ten years, this book recounts the difficult journey farmers have taken to assert their status as victims and secure compensation. It emphasizes the pivotal role of close family members and the importance of objective allies in mobilization, ranging from physicians and union leaders to environmental activists, lawyers, journalists, and scientists from backgrounds often worlds apart. This story, which is both personal and political, illustrates the long-term effects of intensive agriculture, a practice that remains dominant today.
Jean-Noël Jouzel is a CNRS Research Director at the Centre for the Sociology of Organisations (CSO), SciencesPo. His research focuses on controversies related to environmental health and occupational health issues, from a perspective that combines science studies, the sociology of public action, and the sociology of social movements. His research contributes to the current surge in studies on the social construction of ignorance.
Giovanni Prete is a lecturer at Sorbonne Paris Nord University and a researcher at IRIS. His research focuses on the social and political issues surrounding occupational and environmental health. In particular, he studies mobilizations at individual and collective levels to raise awareness of the link between environmental and occupational exposure and health problems in various sectors, especially agriculture. He is interested in the role of scientific knowledge and how it circulates in different arenas (administrative, judicial and scientific), as well as how law is used in mobilizations.
Jean-Noël Jouzel et Giovanni Prete, L’agriculture empoisonnée. Le long combat des victimes des pesticides. Les Presses de Sciences Po, 2024.
The Guest Seminar Series is organized collectively by the CSI PhD students. It is open upon registration.
Date: Tuesday January 13, 2026, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Venue: salle Vendôme. The link will be provided shortly before the seminar.
Registration: please fill out this form
Contact: Isaac Bariller and Lauranne Chaignon
Photo source: Jean-Noël Jouzel, CSO, SciencesPo. Giovanni Prete, IRIS, EHESS.