Deep Roots

90 / 258

[ ] 88
the one hand to demonstrate the political and social issues
to support family farmers, and on the other to explain, from
experience, the importance of defining agricultural policy
adapted to these farmers.
“Family farming is employment, land, scenic beauty and
tradition, but also competitiveness, economic performance
and the sustainable use of natural methods of production,”
said Stéphane Le Foll, France’s Minister of Agriculture. “A
family farmer is primarily a leader or operations manager on
his farm. It is he or she who owns the means of production,
works, takes technical and economic decisions on the farm
and who bears the risk. It differs from the agro-industrial
model characterized by production capital held by absentee
owners or shareholders of the operation, management and
labour exclusively employed.”
The principle of transmission, which is intrinsic to family
farms, is also a common characteristic of these farmers. This
involves the commitment of farmers in the management of
natural resources. This sustainability strengthens social ties
within a community and more widely within a territory. It is
this model of family farming, as opposed to an agribusiness
model, which still forms the basis of agriculture in France.
Over the past 50 years, France and the European Union
have developed ambitious policies for family farming.
After the Second World War, the six founding coun-
tries of the European Union implemented the Common
Agricultural Policy (CAP) with the main objectives to
increase productivity, ensure a fair standard of living for
the agricultural community, stabilize markets, guarantee
supplies and ensure reasonable prices for consumers. The
European agricultural policy has fulfilled its mission and
was able to support the development of European agricul-
ture in preserving the diversity of (mainly family) farm
structures while adapting to global challenges (increasing
competitiveness, protection of the environment and rural
An efficient agroecological system
With 270 hectares of land in the Chantonnay commune of
Vendée, the GAEC Ursula is a model of agroecology, the fruit of an
ecological process initiated in the 1980s.
“The GAEC was founded in 1983 by my parents, Jacques
and Pierrette Morineau, and two other partners,” recalled
Marie Schwab. Today, Jacques Morineau is still part of the
venture, while three younger farmers have replaced the original
members. “Sylvain was installed in 2009 and Sébastien, my
husband, installed in 2011, and I replaced my mother in 2013,”
said Marie.
“In the 1980s we had an ecological approach,” said Jacques
Morineau: “In 1988/89, the weather was very bad and we found
that the inputs did not help. What makes the performance is the
sun and rain. We were then tempted by organic farming and we
started with poultry.” The hen house was a success, with 400
square metres devoted to house hundreds of organic chickens. The
entire farm went organic in the 2000s, and it is now considered a
model of French agroecology.
All plots are cultivated with varieties of cereals and grassland.
“We have 100 hectares of cereals (bread wheat, peas, faba
beans, lupins, barley) which is sold directly to farmers,” said Marie.
“Everything is grown in mixtures, so whatever the weather, there is
always a species that is doing well.”
To preserve biodiversity, the plots are no bigger than 6 hectares
and are all surrounded by hedges. “My father balances areas of
cultivation to support wildlife such as ladybirds and beetles,” said
Marie. “We reproduce what happens in nature, but on the scale of
agricultural production.”
The GAEC Ursula also raises 100 dairy cows fed on grass, and
manufactures organic rapeseed and sunflower – a well-oiled and
efficient system on an economic as well as a social ecological level.
Quality and pride
The protected designation of origin (PDO) ‘Camembert de
Normandie’ includes 500 dairy farmers and nine cheese producers.
For more than 30 years, François Durand has handcrafted cheeses
of exceptional quality, made from raw milk, at his Camembert
factory in Orne.
His wife, Nadia, provides a warm welcome to the Fromagerie
Durand. She joined her husband there in the early 1990s to
help in the family dairy operation. In 1999, they partnered with
Nicolas, François’s brother, to form a Groupement Agricole
d’Exploitation en Commun (GAEC). Between them, they now
have 90 hectares of land and 70 cows. Each has specific tasks:
François is responsible for making cheese, Nicolas takes care of
the cows, Nadia manages accounting and visitors and Rose, their
employee, does handling and sales.
Nadia insists on one thing: the quality of the cheese is
produced through a demanding manufacturing process.
Protected in France since 1983 with an appellation d’origine
contrôlée (AOC) and in the European Union with a PDO, the
production of Normandy Camembert represents only 4.2 per cent
of the total production in France.
To qualify for this label, the criteria are strict: milk production,
manufacturing, refining and packaging of cheese must be done
in the geographical area (it covers part of the departments of
Calvados, the Manche, Orne and Eure). The pie must be made with
raw milk from a herd of cows partly composed of Norman purebred,
which must graze at least six months in the year.
Neither the AOC nor the PDO require farm production and
handcrafting. Yet this is the choice made by the Durands. In their
operation, 1,200 litres of milk are produced each day, or 1,000
pies a week. And every step of production is done by hand – a
guarantee of quality and pride for the family farm.
France: key messages for the International
Year of Family Farming
• Appropriate public policies can enhance the performance of
family agriculture to meet global challenges.
• The advantages and potential for the economic, social and
environmental improvement of family farming cannot be
expressed without the establishment of an institutional and
economic framework of conditions and public policies that
support and recognize the social, as well as the economic role
of agriculture.
• Strategies supporting the development and modernization
of family farming can only be differentiated, taking into
account local realities. They should be considered through
the development of differentiated paths within the context of
sustainable development.
• In the fight against food insecurity, the French policy of
international cooperation and development prioritizes the
promotion of family farming, producing wealth and jobs and
respecting ecosystems. In this respect, France supports
initiatives for family agriculture to play its full role in the adoption
of agricultural policies, strengthening regional integration,
structuring agricultural markets, value chain development,
support for farmers’ organizations, enabling equitable access to
water, land security and the fight against land degradation.
Deep Roots