Farm buildings and agri-food transitions in Southern France: Mapping dynamics using a stakeholder-based diagnosis

Abstract

This study’s goal is to present a dynamic portrait of the farm-buildings environment in Occitania, in Southern France, in order to better identify the transitions underway in agri-food chains. To this end, we undertook a territorial diagnosis based on actor statements, using 28 semi-structured interviews across Occitania. This diagnosis was enriched by graphic modelling, which enabled the spatialization of the dynamics described. We show that the process of standardisation of farm buildings prevails in the majority of the territories studied. This phenomenon has intensified in recent years with the development of vast photovoltaic-roofed sheds, accentuating the farmland conversion and soil sealing. At the same time, in areas with strong environmental, landscape and heritage contexts, a ‘new adventure in farm buildings’ (2022 survey) is taking shape. It is primarily driven by local short food chains, which rely on self-construction, repurposing and refurbishment, the sharing of tools and equipment, and which favour the use and reuse of local resources. This study shows that farm-buildings dynamics crystallise many challenges confronting the reterritorialisation of agriculture and food production.

Keywords

Farm buildings / Transition / Local food systems / Occitania / Cartographic modelling

Ethical statement

The research involved human participants and was approved by the Human Research Ethics Committee of the University of Toulouse Jean Jaurès before data collection. The study was performed in accordance with the ethical standards as laid down in the 1964 Declaration of Helsinki and its later amendments. Informed consent was obtained from all individuals included in this study.

Declaration of Competing Interests

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

Acknowledgements

The authors extend their thanks to Najla Touati for her help in cartography, to Kim Agrawal for this English translation from the original French and to reviewers for their helpful comments. We would also like to thank the Occitanie Region for co-funding this research.

References

[1] Anzalone, G, Mazaud, C., 2021. The “energy farmer”, epitomising the diversification of agricultural production. New Labour Rev., 18 . doi: 10.4000/nrt.8299.

[2] Arnaud, A, Davoine, P. A., 2009. Cartographic Approach and Geovisualisation for the Representation of Uncertainty. SAGEO, Paris, France

[3] Beaumesnil, M., 2006. An Asset for the Rural World: The Valorisation of Agricultural Buildings. Economic and Social Council, France

[4] Bermond, M., Guillemin, P., Maréchal, G., 2019. Which geography of agricultural transitions in France? An exploratory approach from organic farming and short food supply chains in the 2010 agricultural census. Cah. Agric. 28 (16). doi: 10.1051/cagri/ 2019013 , (in French).

[5] Caron, P., 2001. Zoning with the words of actors: spatial representations to understand, formalize and decide. The case of Juazeiro, Brazil. Spatial Representations and Territorial Development, Hermès

[6] Cauvin, C., 1999. For an approach to intra-urban spatial cognition. Cybergeo Eur. J. Geogr. . doi: 10.4000/cybergeo.5043.

[7] Cividino, H., 2018. New Agricultural Architectures. Le Moniteur, Antony

[8] Cividino, H., 2019. History of agricultural architecture: 1945–1999. The Modernisation of Farms, Le Moniteur, Antony

[9] Comi, M., 2023. Farmers who tinker: grounded alternatives to incrementalism and the growth imperative. Sociol. Rural., 63 (4), pp. 823-842. doi: 10.1111/soru.12445.

[10] Conti, L., Barbari, M., Monti, M., 2016. Design of sustainable agricultural buildings. A case study of a wine cellar in Tuscany, Italy. Buildings 6 (2), 17. doi: 10.3390/buildings6020017.

[11] D ąbkowski, N., Olszewska, B., Chalecki, M., 2018. Houses on organic farms in north-east Mazovia: existing material and construction solutions. Ecol. Quest. 29 (4), 69–80. doi: 10.12775/EQ.2018.031.

[12] Di Fazio, S., 1989. Designing agricultural buildings in relation to the landscape. V.A. Dodd, P.M. Grace (Eds.), Agricultural Engineering Volume 2: Agricultural Buildings, CRC Press, London

[13] Fiamor, A. E., Frayssignes, J, Olivier-Salvagnac, V, Pouzenc, M., 2021. Adding value to local production: tangle of approaches or reasoned multi-inscription?. Food Syst. (6), pp. 119-142. doi: 10.48611/isbn.978-2-406-12705-5.p.0119.

[14] Fournier, T., Lepiller, O., Simonet, G., 2022. Cheeses lying fallow. The difficult revival of cheese production in a post-industrial Ariège Valley (Pyrenees, France). J. Alp. Res 110–112. doi: 10.4000/rga.10664 , (in French).

[15] Fuentes, J. M., Gallego, E, García, A. I., Ayuga, F., 2010. New uses for old traditional farm buildings: the case of the underground wine cellars in Spain. Land Use Policy, 27 (3), pp. 738-748. doi: 10.1016/j.landusepol.2009.10.002.

[16] Gasselin, P, Lardon, S, Cerdan, C, Loudiyi, S, Sautier, D., 2023. Coexistence and Confrontation of Agricultural and Food Models: A New Paradigm of Territorial Development?. Springer

[17] Geels, F. W., Schot, J., 2007. Typology of sociotechnical transition pathways. Res. Policy, 36 (3), pp. 399-417. doi: 10.1016/j.respol.2007.01.003.

[18] Goodman, D., 2002. Rethinking food production-consumption: integrative perspectives. Sociol. Rural., 42 (4), pp. 271-277. doi: 10.1111/1467-9523.00216.

[19] Goodman, D., Dupuis, E.M., Goodman, M.K., 2013. Alternative Food Networks: Knowledge, Practice, and Politics. Routledge. doi: 10.4324/9780203804520.

[20] Goulet, F, Meyer, M, Cardinael, C., 2022. A survey on self-build agricultural equipment in France. Ethnol. Fr., 52 (2), pp. 397-412. doi: 10.3917/ethn.222.0397.

[21] Griethe, H, Schumann, H. 2006. The visualization of uncertain data: methods and problems. Proceedings of the SimVis '06, SCS Publishing House, pp.143-156.

[22] Holloway, L, Kneafsey, M, Venn, L, Cox, R, Dowler, E, Tuomainen, H., 2007. Possible food economies: a methodological framework for exploring food production-consumption relationships. Sociol. Rural., 47 (1), pp. 1-19. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-9523.2007.00427.x.

[23] Knight, T., 2016. 193-209. doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-26315-1_10.

[24] Kristensen, S. B. P., Præstholm, S, Busck, A. G., Winther, L, Fertner, C, Vesterager, J. P., Vejre, H., 2019. On-farm business structure diversification in Greater Copenhagen-Farmers in an urban landscape or entrepreneurs in a rural landscape?. Land Use Policy, 88, Article 104093. doi: 10.1016/j.landusepol.2019.104093.

[25] Lagarde, D., Panegos, P., Rayssac, S., 2021. To show the territorial imprint of a cultural itinerary and its circulations through the geographical image associated with the discourse. EchoGéo 57 Art 57. doi: 10.4000/echogeo.22329 , (in French).

[26] Lamine, C., 2020. Sustainable Agri-Food Systems: Case Studies in Transitions Towards Sustainability from France and Brazil. Bloomsbury, New York . doi: 10.5040/9781350101159.

[27] Lamine, C., Garçon, L., Brunori, G., 2019. Territorial agrifood systems: a Franco-Italian contribution to the debates over alternative food networks in rural areas. J. Rural Stud. 68, 159–170. doi: 10.1016/j.jrurstud.2018.11.007.

[28] Lardon, S, Houdart, M., 2017. The Chorèmes in the face of changing research themes and practices in agronomy and land management. Mappemonde 122, 8 . doi: 10.4000/mappemonde.574.

[29] Lardon, S, Piveteau, V., 2002. Chorèmes and territorial diagnoses: a training experience. Mappe Monde 63(4), 1-6.

[30] Meyer, M., 2022. L’atelier paysan: reprendre la terre aux machines: manifeste pour une autonomie paysanne et alimentaire [Taking back the land from the machines: a manifesto for peasant and food autonomy]. Agric. Hum. Values, 39, pp. 1161-1162. doi: 10.1007/s10460-022-10323-4.

[31] Le Velly, R., Jarrige, F., 2022. Proceedings of the 16th Social Science Research Days. Clermont Ferrand, France (in French).

[32] Macé, M., 2019. Ouruts [La petite jaune, H, 128 p.]. Verdier, Lagrasse, France (in, French)

[33] Mackay, M, Nelson, T, Perkins, H. C., 2019. Agritourism and the adaptive re-use of farm buildings in New Zealand. Open Agric., 4 (1), pp. 465-474. doi: 10.1515/opag-2019-0047.

[34] Madeline, P., 2006. The evolution of agricultural buildings in metropolitan France: an index of agricultural and rural change. Geogr. Inf., 70 (3), pp. 33-49. doi: 10.3917/lig.703.0033.

[35] Marsden, T., Banks, J., Bristow, G., 2000. Food supply chain approaches : exploring their role in rural development. Sociol. Ruralis 40 (4), 424–438. doi: 10.1111/1467-9523.00158.

[36] Mésini, B., 2011. What recognition for light, mobile and ephemeral housing? Techniques & Culture. Biannu. J. Anthropol. Technol., 56 . doi: 10.4000/tc.5742.

[37] Michel, B., 2016. Light Housing: The Emergence of Innovative Ways of Living?. L'Harmattan

[38] Morange, M, Schmoll, C., 2016. Qualitative Tools in Geography: Methods and Applications. Armand Colin

[39] Morgan, K., 2015. Nourishing the city: the rise of the urban food question in the Global North. Urban Stud., 52 (8), pp. 1379-1394. doi: 10.1177/0042098014534902.

[40] Mucchielli, A., 2009. Dictionary of Qualitative Methods in the Humanities. Armand Colin

[41] Nougarèdes, B., 2013.Socio-spatial insertion modes of periurban farm building and local sociabilities case studies of “agricultural hamlets” in the Hérault (France). Ph.D. Thesis, Université Toulouse le Mirail - Toulouse II. https://theses.hal.science/tel-00931887 (in French).

[42] Nougarèdes, B., 2018. Building territorialized food systems: issues for sustainable planning. FNAU Files 44, 14.

[43] Nougarèdes, B, Mésini, B, Melot, R, Perrin, C., 2022. Building on agricultural land: localised legal orders and new food issues. Proceedings of the Rights and Territories Conference. A Cross-Section of Legal and Territorial Sciences, Aubervilliers, France

[44] Picuno, P., 2022. Farm buildings as drivers of the rural environment. Front. Built Environ., 8, 693876.

[45] Praly, C, Chazoule, C, Delfosse, C, Mundler, P., 2014. Proximity supply chains, an analytical framework for the localization of food supply chains. Geogr. Econ. Soc., 16 (4), pp. 455-478. doi: 10.3166/ges.16.455-478.

[46] Robinson, G., 2009. Towards sustainable agriculture: current debates. Geogr. Compass, 3, pp. 1757-1773. doi: 10.1111/j.1749-8198.2009.00268.x.

[47] Robinson, G. M., 2018. Globalization of agriculture. Annu. Rev. Resour. Econ., 10 (1), pp. 133-160. doi: 10.1146/annurev-resource-100517-023303.

[48] Shon, D, Lee, E, Lee, Y, Lee, J, Byun, N., 2023. Characteristics of smart farms for architectural planning and design. Buildings, 13 (1), p. 93. doi: 10.3390/buildings13010093.

[49] Sonnino, R., Marsden, T., 2006. Alternative food networks in the South-West of England: towards a new agrarian eco-economy? In: Marsden, T., Jonathan Murdoch, J. (Eds.), Between the Local and the Global (Research in Rural Sociology and Development, Vol. 12). Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Bingley, pp. 299–322.. doi: 10.1016/S1057-1922(06)12012-0.

[50] Tassinari, P, Torreggiani, D, Benni, S, Dall’Ara, E, Pollicino, G., 2011. The FarmBuiLD model (farm building landscape design): first definition of parametric tools. J. Cult. Herit., 12 (4), pp. 485-493. doi: 10.1016/j.culher.2011.05.001.

[51] Tassinari, P, Torreggiani, D, Paolinelli, G, Benni, S., 2007. Rural buildings and their integration in landscape management. Agric. Eng. Int. CIGR J., 9, 20.

[52] Torre, A, Traversac, J. B., 2011. Territorial Governance: Local Development, Rural Areas and Agrofood Systems. Physica-Verlag, Heidelberg . doi: 10.1007/978-3-7908-2422-3.

[53] Torreggiani, D, Tassinari, P., 2012. Landscape quality of farm buildings: the evolution of the design approach in Italy. J. Cult. Herit., 13 (1), pp. 59-68. doi: 10.1016/j.culher.2011.06.002.

[54] van der Vaart, J. H. P., 2005. Towards a new rural landscape: consequences of non-agricultural re-use of redundant farm buildings in Friesland. Landsc. Urban Plan., 70 (1), pp. 143-152. doi: 10.1016/j.landurbplan.2003.10.010.

[55] Verhoeve, A, Roo, N. D., Rogge, E., 2012. How to visualise the invisible: revealing re-use of rural buildings by non-agricultural entrepreneurs in the region of Roeselare-Tielt (Belgium). Land Use Policy, 29 (2), pp. 407-416. doi: 10.1016/j.landusepol.2011.08.005.