Local food networks and the change of the agrofood system

Can alternative local food networks, through the relocalization of production and consumption and the higher proportion of organic practices, bring significant changes in the agrofood system? Drawing on the case of French Amaps, the distinction between an “input substitution paradigm” and a “system redesign” paradigm, which is at the crossroads of agricultural and social sciences, will help to assess the changes which occur in consumers and producers practices and in their interactions

HealthyGrowth - France - Biocoop case study Fact sheet

This document is a 2 pages synthesis of the overall report of the Healthygrowth project Biocoop’s case study - France (https://orgprints.org/29253/

Full case study report: Biocoop - France

Biocoop is a network of organic shops which today gathers 345 shops in France in early 2014 (190 in 2000) and represents about 15% of the organic market in 2012 (versus 2,5% for its main competitor, La Vie Claire, and 47% for the big retailers all together)1 . http://www.biocoop.fr/ Right from its beginning, Biocoop chose to put forward its basic values (equity, cooperation, respect of strong social and ecological criteria, transparency and traceability, consumers’ sensitization) through a formal charter and a guideline. This guideline is composed of 4 conventions (retailing, management, social and ecological conventions). Biocoop’s governance has always involved the producers and the employees. Despite this, in the late 1990s and 2000s, Biocoop’s strong and fast growth led to a strong (internal and external) criticism regarding the respect of organic values. In order to react to this trend, from the years 2000s on Biocoop tried to reinforce the application of its values especially by favouring local producers and reinforcing the voice of producers in the governance of the network. All these aspects (strong formalization of values, participatory governance, controversies and adjustments over time) make it an interesting case for the Healthygrowth project

HealthyGrowth - France - Biovallée case study Fact sheet

This document is a 2 pages synthesis of the overall report of the Healthygrowth project Biovallée’s case study - France (https://orgprints.org/29254/

Organisation de la journée d'études sur les dynamiques territoriales de transition vers l'AB et l'écologisation des systèmes agri-alimentaires, sur le thème des biorégions, à Eurre (Biovallée)

This seminar brought together French, Italian, Autrian researchers, European bioregions leaders and local actors from the Drome department to discuss about bioregions and territorial transition of agrifood systems. It took place in Eurre, in the Biovallée bioregion (Drôme, France)

D'une charte l'autre. Le processus de révision de la charte des AMAP comme indicateur d'une institution qui se renforce ?

Les AMAP ont connu une croissance assez linéaire et même assez forte, puisqu'après leur apparition en 2001, elles étaient déjà de l'ordre de 500 en 2006, et environ 1600 en 2013. Très tôt, dès 2001, le réseau s'est structuré sous la forme d'associations régionales dans certaines régions. Si la question de la structuration nationale des AMAP s'est posée très tôt, ce n'est qu'en 2009 qu'une partie de ces réseaux régionaux se fédèrent dans une structure nationale, MIRAMAP. En 2003, Alliance Provence a déposé à l'Inpi le nom AMAP dont l'utilisation était dés lors subordonnée au respect de la " charte des AMAP" (datant elle aussi de 2003)1. Cette charte était, comme l'indique son texte, " un document de référence définissant les valeurs, les principes et les engagements auxquels doivent souscrire les associations désirant être reconnues comme AMAP auprès d'Alliance Provence ", elle n'est en rien un règlement intérieur aux AMAP, chaque AMAP devant " définir de façon autonome son mode de fonctionnement dans le respect de la présente charte ". Cette charte a été révisée en 2013, suite à une grande consultation nationale orchestrée par MIRAMAP. Nous montrons dans cet article l'évolution de la charte, les règles qui ont disparu ou au contraire sont apparues pour fixer de nouveaux objectifs, tout en répondant à la réalité des pratiques que les acteurs ont développé dans les dix dernières années. En outre, le cadre d'analyse IAD d'Elinor Ostrom, permet de montrer en quoi l'institution s'est renforcée grâce à la mise en place de cette révision participative

Synthèse de l’étude de cas Biocoop (projet Healthygrowth)

Biocoop is a network of organic shops which today gathers 345 shops in France in early 2014 (190 in 2000) and represents about 15% of the organic market in 2012 (versus 2,5% for its main competitor, La Vie Claire, and 47% for the big retailers all together). Right from its beginning, Biocoop chose to put forward its basic values (equity, cooperation, respect of strong social and ecological criteria, transparency and traceability, consumers’ sensitization) through a formal charter and a guideline. This guideline is composed of 4 conventions (retailing, management, social and ecological conventions). Biocoop’s governance has always involved the producers and the employees. Despite this, in the late 1990s and 2000s, Biocoop’s strong and fast growth led to a strong (internal and external) criticism regarding the respect of organic values. In order to react to this trend, from the years 2000s on Biocoop tried to reinforce the application of its values especially by favouring local producers and reinforcing the voice of producers in the governance of the network. The strong formalization of values, participatory governance, controversies and adjustments over time) are analysed in this report part of the Healthygrowth project. This document is a French synthesis of the overall report (https://orgprints.org/29253/)

Full case study report: Biovallée - France

The Drôme valley is the most developed area in France with respect to organic agriculture. In this small region (2200 km², 54000 inhabitants), organic production represents 30% of agricultural land, high above the national average of 3%. A public project was launched in 2009 by the 102 municipalities of the valley: the Biovallée project (www.biovallee.fr). The Biovallée project aims at making the Drôme valley a pilot territory in terms of sustainable development. Therefore it includes operational objectives for 2020 in a diversity of sectors, among which energy (coverage of 100% of household consumption with renewable energies), waste (a 50% reduction), land use (no more destruction of arable land), housing (building 5 eco-neighbourhoods), education and training (developing high-level training programs on sustainable development). Agriculture is one of the three main components of this program, along with energy and training. In this sector, the aim is to reach 50% of farmers and farming surfaces, 80% of public food procurement in organic, and 50% of pesticide use. Despite the Biovallée project is not only focussed on organic food chains, it provides a large panel of production and marketing actors, who try to add value dimensions to the organic products, with financial support as well as with coordination. Biovallée is one of the three territorial case studies of HealthyGrowth, along with the Biodistretto Cilento (It) and the Bioregion Mühlviertel (Au). Territorial case studies are not focused on a single chain but on a whole territorial agrifood system (Lamine et al., 2012). This allows to analyse more deeply the modes of coordination between various actors and institutions (public and private), the management and governance models and the ways these contribute to maintain the ’added value’. As they differ from the value-chain focus of the other case studies of the HealthyGrowth project, some other dimensions are irrelevant in our case and will not be explored in detail

The relationships between organic farming and agroecology.

While acknowledging an extension of agroecology in the organic sector and a growing influence of agroecology in the academic world, we explore their relationships. These relationships cannot be reduced to an opposition between a scientific field and a practical domain. A Brazilian case study based on the analysis of researchers and social actors trajectories exemplifies the diversity of existing relations, whether inclusive or exclusive. With a literature review, this allows characterising the specific attributes of both organic agriculture and agroecology. We discuss them in the light of current challenges for organic farming research and development

Maintien des valeurs dans la croissance de la bio. Enseignements du projet HealthyGrowth

How do organic initiatives and food chains succeed in maintaining their foundational values along and despite their growth process? This question which appears central in the “conventionnalisation debate” has been tackled by the European project HealthyGrowth (2013-2016, Eranet Core Organic program). In this project, 11 teams from different countries developed and applied to 22 case studies, 5 different perspectives dealing with organization modes and governance, management strategies, communication of values, mediation of values, and resilience in a context of crises and changes. The cross analysis of these case studies, carried out through a multi-perspective approach, made it possible to identify 3 important aspects which allow maintaining values along the growth process: a continuous process of re-affirmation and sometimes redefinition of core values over time, a synchronization of time horizons that stabilizes the different actors’ expectations and commitments, and a process of professionalization which takes different forms and meanings