The history of French organic farming is predominantly political, focusing on a few key figures at the national level. By engaging with the environmental history of soils and alternative agricultures, this chapter takes seriously the cognitive dimensions, scientific networks, and agricultural practices that are central to organic farming. It explores the origins of organic farming by situating it within rich and complex, yet marginalized, environmental knowledge and practices, as well as the major agricultural debates of the mid-twentieth century. The chapter highlights ongoing controversies in different scientific communities, the concerns and warnings about soil degradation prevalent among agricultural professionals, and the development of alternative ways of agricultural intensification based on “living soils,” from the 1930s up to the state’s recognition of organic farming in 1980.