France: The sun-drenched hills near Toulon still look like a classic postcard from the south of France. But inside the greenhouses, something has changed. Bananas, papayas and mangoes are now growing where only Provencal herbs and tomatoes once thrived.“I’m probably the only papaya grower in France!” Dominique Berdin joked to France24 during a visit to her tropical fruit operation in Ollioules, in the Var Department.
Tucked inside her greenhouse, some 20 different tropical fruits — including passion fruit and pineapples — grow pesticide-free, all year round.“Our climate is now suitable for these crops,” Berdin said. She points to the steady warming of the south of France over recent decades as the reason for the breakthrough.
“If we are willing to adapt it might turn into an opportunity to grow our own tropical fruit instead of shipping it from across the globe.”
26 Varieties of Banana Tested on Open SlopesFrance
24 also met Johan Bultel, a young agronomist who works alongside Berdin but specializes in bananas.
Unlike Berdin, Bultel’s work extends beyond the greenhouse to the windy, exposed slopes of his land. There, he is testing 26 different banana varieties sourced from climates as diverse as Honduras and Reunion Island.
His goal: to find at least one variety that can flourish through a French winter. Selling the seedlings has become his main income.And local farmers are buying.
Isabelle Pertois, a longtime organic grower, said Europe’s recent heatwaves forced her to rethink everything. She used to grow a wide range of organic vegetables, but scorching summers became too routine.
Taking inspiration from Spain and North Africa, she now grows her tomatoes and squash in the shade of citrus trees. Soon, she says, banana trees will cover her entire plot in partial shade — they have already ripped through the roof of her greenhouse.“It’s like I’m in the Caribbean!” she said.
She is not alone. Another local farmer growing dragon fruit has doubled his yields with help from local agronomists exploring the new tropical strategies.
From papayas in Ollioules to bananas on open hillsides, a small network of growers is proving that even as the climate changes, the exceptional standard of French produce doesn’t have to.
