the territory
Located in the west of the Vosges department, this plain territory is essentially agricultural and forested. Cattle breeding (milk and meat) dominates. The cultivated land is dedicated to forage production, but also to wheat and rapeseed production. The majority of these productions, whether animal or vegetable, are mainly exported. At the same time, imports are important, particularly for fruit and vegetables, where local production only covers 13% of needs. Access to land is difficult (price, heritage), and competition for land use (methanization) is strong.
A large part of the population has low incomes. The geographical dispersion leads to a dispersion of processing tools and distribution points. However, the territory benefits from a strong dynamic of actors and inspiring initiatives (in agricultural practices, mutualisation of transformation, collective catering). A Territorial AgriFood Project under construction could help coordinate these changes.
A challenge for the future is the ability to maintain part of the current export-oriented dynamic to ensure the economic survival of the farms, while at the same time amplifying a relocation-diversification phenomenon driven by smaller, more diversified structures
Case study referee
Fabienne Barataud (INRAE)
fabienne.barataud@inrae.fr
Territorial food system
Type of region : Rural specialized
Approximate size and population
72 000 inhabitants, 1 618 km²
Depopulation
Type of agriculture
Average size: 120 ha
Mainly dairy and suckler cattle, some sheep, soft wheat / long chains that dominate (highly structured for milk and cereals)
Short circuits (and anteriority)
A growing number and diversity of products concerned by short circuits even if these circuits remain a minority
Main social issues
Demographic decline and ageing population ; low average household income and low access to higher education
Presence of agroecologial systems
Organic agriculture = around 10% ; presence of pioneers but organic farming tends to be less developed than in the Vosges mountains
Grazing livestock, some developments in agroforestry
Specific agri-food system dynamics and initiatives (and anteriority)
Articulation of multiple dimensions: food education, social integration, health, maintenance of a peasant agriculture and remunerative thanks to the partnership between diversified actors
Agrifood transition
Main stakes for the transition : Climate change and water pollution / quality of food products and health / social: insufficient farm income for many farmers + rather low average consumer incomes / strong need for market gardening (emerging water issue)
Key obstacles to AE transition
Lack of political will, lack of intersectoriality in public action (although improving); competition for land with the development of methanization
Leading actors in the transition
Organic farmers, citizen associations, certain public institutes in the sector (research, agricultural education, medical-educational institutions), some elected officials who are driving forces; BUT : the dominant economic players continue to play against the agro-ecological transition
Institutionalisation of the agrifood transition
Territorial AgriFood Project under construction mainly oriented by local economy, relocalisation
Actors excluded from projects
Precarious populations
References (studies) and contacts
Concerning an experience of coordination of actors on a part of the territory: https://visionscarto.net/mirecourt
Key initiatives
3 innovative initiatives
Le Pré en bulle
A “hay milk” sector structured by a group of farmers with the support of the Bio en Grand Est network, which today allows for quality cheese processing; shared processing and maturing tool; sale of the product under a recognised quality sign
Organisation of organic and local meals
in the leisure centres organised by the “Foyers Ruraux” association
Reflections on naturopathy
by a medical-educational institute which led to the construction of a training course recognised by the State and whose teachings are disseminated within different structures or people in the area
Our approach
In Mirecourt and its surroundings, in the Vosges plain, a collective experiment entitled TEASER-lab took place from 2015 through to 2019.
The project was born out of a dynamic of meetings and exchanges between several organisations in the area around their respective projects: organic farmers, citizens involved in various associations, public structures including an INRAE research unit with an experimental farm. The project was based on existing mobilisation spaces and agricultural and/or food initiatives that it sought to strengthen while opening up new possibilities. It is the direct participation in this project, in its spaces of participation, in its arenas of debate, that has provided the observations mobilised here.
Trajectory
Method
The analysis of the trajectory is based on a longitudinal approach supported by an immersion in the territory and a direct contribution to its agri-food projects, notably through the involvement of the INRA experimental farm. The formalisation of the trajectory is an individual production, submitted a posteriori to the validation of some key actors of the territory.
Detailed timeline
Located in the west of the Vosges department, this plain territory is essentially agricultural and forested. Cattle breeding (milk and meat) dominates. The main part of the cultivated land is dedicated to forage production, but also to wheat and rapeseed production. The majority of these productions, whether animal or vegetable, are mainly exported. At the same time, imports are important, particularly for fruit and vegetables, where local production only covers 13% of needs. This situation is the result of an intensification and specialisation of agricultural production activities since the 1980s, which has led to a strong disconnection between production (specialised and part of long supply chains) and consumption. Access to land is difficult for new farmers, but at the same time the transfer of farms is made difficult by the mechanisms of enlargement and material investment. Finally, competition over land use is increased by the particularly important development of methanisation in this region.
A large part of the population has low incomes, poverty and unemployment rates are higher than national averages, and the region is in continuous demographic decline. The geographical dispersion leads to a dispersion of processing tools and distribution points.
However, the territory benefits from a strong dynamic of actors and inspiring initiatives (in agricultural practices, mutualisation of transformation, collective catering). This dynamic is in line with the development of organic farming and cooperative forms by pioneering and highly committed farmers in the area. Several citizens’ associations, but also public establishments of the territory contribute to reinforce these dynamics. Finally, a group of local authorities has been involved since 2020 in the national dynamics of Territorial Agrifood Projects. One of its ambitions could be to coordinate these developments.
A key issue for the future is to succeed in amplifying the relocation-diversification phenomenon carried out by smaller and more diversified structures, taking into account the economic survival and evolution of farms currently focused on exports.
Interpretative figure
Work in progress