French Farmers Research Articles

Becoming a Rescuer in the Pyrenees: Border Guides Who took Jews from France to Franco’s Spain (1940–1943)

Abstract During the Holocaust, thousands of Jews in France fled Europe via Franco’s Spain. When leaving France, refugees who lacked the required travel documents avoided police and customs officers at the Franco-Spanish border by walking over the Pyrenees. Guides (passeurs) led them through the mountains to the border, choosing trails and times that would make encounters with police patrols less likely. Most charged large sums of money, but some worked without payment. This article explores why the latter group engaged in this dangerous form of rescue, by examining how they became border guides. It focuses on two French farmers, a French Christian brother at a sanatorium, and an antifascist activist from Germany. The sources analyzed include the memoirs, unpublished accounts, diaries, letters and oral history interviews of the guides, their work associates, and the refugees; as well as official correspondence between French police and government officials in the Pyrenees region, and the archival records of the Brothers of the Christian Schools. The author’s primary research finding is that the border guides considered in this study undertook the dangerous task of guiding refugees because they had had a series of experiences and had engaged in a series of actions that made it more feasible for them to do so when asked. Their values and understanding of their work also help explain why they became guides. Reflections on the implications of this research for our comprehension of bystanders’ actions conclude the article.

Using microbial biocontrol for disease control in French vegetable production: An analysis of the perspectives of farmers and farm advisors

Microbial biocontrol products are increasingly available as alternative solutions to chemical control for the management of vegetable diseases. However, their use is still limited. A study was carried out to analyse this situation and identify the needs and limits encountered by users of biocontrol agents, with the goal of suggesting potential ways of improvement. A survey of French vegetable farmers and farm advisors was therefore conducted. First, online questionnaires were disseminated to more than 500 professionals, with queries on their use of biocontrol products, targeted diseases, and perceived efficacy. In a second step, face-to-face interviews were performed with 42 of the 217 respondents, to obtain in-depth technical information about successes and difficulties encountered by users in the implementation of biocontrol. The answers to the online questionnaires highlighted that only few biocontrol products were known and used, and their efficacy was perceived as low by users. This diagnosis was confirmed by the face-to-face interviews. While users showed awareness of the benefits of applying biocontrol products to manage plant diseases, they also reported that unstable efficacy, together with difficulties in using biocontrol along with other cultural practices, resulted in questionable interest. More than 85 % of the users expressed the need for additional technical benchmarks on the efficacy of marketed biocontrol products and for practical guidelines helping to choose the most adequate products for specific situations and to obtain information about the most efficient way to use biocontrol solution. Propositions are made to address the needs of users and to foster a wider use of microbial biocontrol agents in vegetable crops.

Bucking the trend: Crop farmers' motivations for reintegrating livestock

CONTEXTEuropean farms and regions follow the trend of agricultural specialisation, which results in a disconnection between crop and livestock production. High-input specialised farming systems are continuing to be developed even though they generate negative environmental impacts. Despite these trends, a few pioneering farmers have intentionally reintegrated livestock onto crop farms in several regions. To date, research has rarely examined farmers' motivations to develop such systems. OBJECTIVEWe aimed to identify French farmers' motivations for reintegrating livestock onto specialised crop farms and into crop-producing regions. METHODSFollowing innovation-tracking principles, we identified 18 crop farmers who had reintegrated livestock in two regions where crop farming predominates: Occitanie and the Parisian Basin. The farmers' profiles varied in production mode, farm size, the crops and livestock produced, and the type and duration of livestock reintegration. Semi-directed interviews focused on the farmers' motivations for having reintegrated livestock. At the end of the interviews, we asked them to select and rank 10 of 36 cards that represented their main agronomic, economic, social and environmental motivations for crop-livestock farming. We transcribed the interviews and performed inductive content analysis, which was then triangulated with the farmers' rankings of the cards. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONSSeven categories of motivations for reintegrating livestock emerged from the interviews: following personal ethical and moral values, increasing and stabilising income, promoting ecosystem services, increasing self-sufficiency and traceability, connecting to the local community, decreasing pollution and keeping the landscape open.In both discourse analysis and motivation card rankings, agronomic motivations (including promoting ecosystem services) were predominant, especially improving soil life and fertility. Farmers ranked economic and social categories nearly equally. Improving and stabilising income was cited by 17/18 farmers in their discourse, consistently with the two most-selected economic motivation cards. Strengthening social connections was the most-selected social motivation in card rankings and was mentioned by 14/18 farmers in their discourse, particularly for connections among farmers. Environmental motivation cards were selected less often, except for environmental stewardship, which was consistent with the desire to build an environmentally friendly farming system to follow personal ethical and moral values mentioned by 10 farmers in their discourse. SIGNIFICANCEThis study is the first to provide a ranked summary of crop farmers' motivations for reintegrating livestock. Understanding this diversity is an initial step in incentivising, promoting and/or supporting the development of this innovative sustainable practice under favourable conditions and can encourage public actions that promote it.

Seedling emergence and biomass production of soybean cultivars under wheat-soybean relay cropping.

Diversification and intensification of cropping systems can ensure farm profitability while reducing negative environmental impacts of agriculture. Wheat-soybean relay cropping (RC), which consists in planting soybean into standing wheat prior to its harvest, may have this potential although it is poorly adopted by French and European farmers. One of the reasons underlying this lack of adoption could be poor emergence rates and biomass production of soybean, due to a severe competition from the already established primary crop for water, light and nutrients during the co-growth or intercrop phase. All these constraints during the early plant growth could finally affect soybean grain yield and thus farm profitability. Here, we performed a laboratory experiment followed by a 2-year field trial (2021-2022) to investigate potential differences among seven soybean cultivars belonging to different maturity groups (from very early to late) in terms of early growth traits viz. seed germination, seedling emergence vigor and final rates, and early biomass production in wheat-soybean RC. A reference soybean variety belonging to late maturity group (cv. ES Pallador) was also sown under conventional cropping system as control treatment (hereafter referred to as CC). Under laboratory conditions, the base water potential for germination ranged from -0.65 to -0.45 MPa with significant differences (p<0.001) among the tested cultivars indicating their differential tolerance to water stress. Under field conditions, seedling emergence vigor, an index explaining the speed of emergence, ranged from 0.23 to 0.41 and from 0.24 to 0.33 while final emergence rates ranged from 69% to 93% and from 65 to 90% in 2021 and 2022, respectively. We found significant effect of cultivar, year and cultivar x year interaction on emergence vigor (p<0.001) and final emergence rates (p<0.01, p<0.05 and p<0.01, respectively) of soybean cultivars. Significantly higher emergence vigor of the referent cv. ES Pallador was observed in RC compared to CC cropping system in 2021 (0.40 and 0.34, respectively) but not in 2022 (0.29 and 0.31, respectively). Water stress in the seedbed was higher in RC compared to the CC and was the main cause affecting seed germination and seedling emergence vigor especially in 2022. We found a positive correlation between seedling emergence vigor and seedling final emergence rates indicating that a lower speed of seedling emergence, due to seedbed stress factors, affects final emergence rates of soybean. Post-emergence losses due to pigeons were significantly higher (p<0.001) in CC compared to RC (30% and 2% in 2021, and 29% and 2% in 2022 in CC and RC, respectively). Significantly higher biomass production was observed in CC compared to that in RC both in 2021 (162 vs 33 g/m2 of dry matter; p<0.001) and 2022 (252 vs 60 g/m2 of dry matter; p<0.001). Overall, pre-/post-emergence water stress in the seedbed and post-emergence damage due to pigeons are the most important factors affecting a uniform and robust soybean establishment under RC and CC, respectively under southern French conditions.

How farmers perceive perennial weeds in Northern France and Eastern Germany

European farmers are required to follow the transition towards sustainable agriculture and food systems. Perennial weed management without chemical herbicides and inversion tillage is challenging farmers. Questions arise to cope with these spreading weeds. Our study focuses on farmers’ perceptions and experiences of perennial weeds and their control in Northern France and Eastern Germany. A survey was developed to explore the situation regarding present concerns and future problems for perennial weed control. The survey conducted from winter 2020/21 to spring 2021 targeted conventional, conservation and organic farms. We found a high level of awareness for perennial weeds. On average, 80.0% of Northern French farmers and 65.9% of Eastern German farmers revealed present concerns about perennial weeds. Both, Northern French and Eastern German farmers perceived perennial weeds are more damaging to crop production than other pests. In both regions, the farmers considered Cirsium arvense (L.) Scop. as the most important perennial weed. While the majority of the Eastern German farmers observed field infestations of Elymus repens (L.) Gould, Northern French farmers more often reported Sonchus arvensis L. infestations. More than 50% of the farmers stated Rumex spp. infestations in Northern France and Eastern Germany. Interestingly, Eastern German farmers are more concerned about future perennial weed problems than Northern French farmers. The reasons for farmer’s future concerns are probably connected to the farming system. In both regions, conservation and conventional farmers heavily rely on herbicides for perennial weed control, however, more farms used the active ingredient glyphosate in Eastern Germany. Nonetheless, perennial weed control is a major concern for organic farmers in both regions. We conclude that optimizing and integrating non-chemical alternatives is promising in all farming systems. Research activities are required to provide farmers and extension services with novel and profitable perennial weed management practices.

Influence of gender on the development of sustainable agriculture in France

Having long been confined to the role of family farm helper, women now make up more than a quarter of farm managers in France. Alongside that, the agricultural world needs to transition towards more sustainable practices and models. Inadequate or incomplete research can be found on how gender influences farmers’ practices and even fewer studies that focus on the situation in France. In this paper, the relationship between the specific topic of French women farmers and their role in sustainable agriculture is explored through qualitative research. An initial conclusion is reached on the existence of a gender effect in the practice of sustainable agriculture. Four explanations to this correlation are discussed to explain the dynamics between gender and sustainable agriculture: the importance of care and differentiated socialisation in choices that women make, the role of access to the profession and working conditions, the specific profile of women involved in sustainable systems and the potentially more welcoming dimension of the agroecological space. Although analysed separately, it is likely a combination of these explanations that allows us to understand the greater sensitivity of women to engage in sustainable agricultural practices.

Nudging and subsidising farmers to foster smart water meter adoption

Abstract We use a discrete choice experiment with treatments to test if voluntary adoption of smart water meters by French farmers can be fostered by (i) a collective conditional subsidy offered to farmers who adopt a smart meter only if the rate of adoption in their geographic area is sufficiently high and (ii) informational nudges. Using a sample of 1,272 farmers, we find contrasted results regarding our nudges, but we show that a conditional subsidy is an effective tool to foster adoption of smart meters. Interestingly, the willingness to pay for the conditional subsidy is equal to the subsidy amount and independent of the collective adoption threshold.

Farmers' perceived values in conventional and organic farming: A comparison between French, Irish and Swedish farmers using the Means-end chain approach

Values act as driving forces for individuals to behave in a certain way or to choose certain actions. They may explain current differences of converted organic land among EU countries. In this paper, we identified and compared the types of values, economic and other, that motivate farmers to choose certified organic or conventional production systems in France, Ireland and Sweden. To identify these values, we analysed and compared attribute-consequence-value representations of the choice of production systems among farmers, using a Means-end chain approach. Seventy-eight in-depth laddering interviews were conducted to explore how farmers characterised their choice, the consequences they perceived from these characteristics and the values they associated with these consequences. The uncovered values were classified along Rokeach's typology to distinguish between instrumental and terminal values. Results indicate that both farmers with a conventional farm and farmers with a certified organic farm are driven by complex sets of financial, business, or productivity values and by non-financial, non-business, or non-productivity values. Findings are useful to policy makers and farm advisors, who can use these results to develop more efficient communication schemes to promote organic farming. The findings can also be communicated to consumers and the public in order to encourage consumption.

Acceptance of insects as protein feed – evidence from pig and poultry farmers in France and in the Netherlands

The European protein production deficit in livestock feed is currently being covered by soy imports, especially from America. However, these imports are being criticised for social, ecological and economic reasons. In order to close the European protein gap, alternative protein sources are increasingly being searched for. The use of insects represents an innovative approach, highlighting their advantages of high protein content and good nutrient composition, as well as their sustainable production methods. To establish insects as innovation in the livestock industry, their acceptance along the value chain is essential. The present study analyses the acceptance of insects as an alternative protein source in feed by poultry and pig farmers in France (n=84) and the Netherlands (n=182). The study results indicate that French and Dutch livestock farmers would use insects as an alternative protein feed, because their usefulness and benefits are paramount. The importance of support by family and farm members as well as colleagues is confirmed in this study, whereas perceptions of effort and risk are not significant influencing factors. Furthermore, age, gender, freedom to choose feed components, and nationality do not significantly determine the main effects of the model. Overall, the results of the study indicate a positive perception in both countries of insects as feed, which is a good prerequisite for the introduction of insects as feed as an innovation.

The Seeds of Farmer Populism: French Food Politics, Productivist Agriculture, and the Shortfalls of Globalization

Over the past decade, populist politics have increasingly enthralled the French farming community, presenting farmers as a silenced, yet indispensable fabric of the French countryside. To assess the phenomenon of French farmer populism, the following questions will be addressed: What are the causes of rising populism among French farmers? What role have both material structures (government, policy, economy) and cultural institutions (French culinary heritage and peasant imaginary) played in promoting widespread rural backlash? Farmer populism in France will be analyzed with particular reference to the notion of gastronationalism, which marries the real expression of nationalist attitudes with the cultural posture of agro-food within a French context. This article argues that farmer frustration caused by structural power imbalances has manifested into (gastro)nationalist populism, characterized by the denouncement of policy-making institutions and the simultaneous reclamation of traditional paysan imaginary. Thus, the convergence of material and symbolic grievances, fueled by gastronationalism, is ultimately the distinguishing characteristic of peasant populism in France.

Estimation of short- and long-term floor and ceiling prices for manure in a crop and livestock farms exchange

Abstract Organic matter is a key element of soil fertility. However, in-soil stocks of organic matter are in decline in specialized crop farms. Reintroducing organic fertilizers could be a way to increase or at least maintain organic matter stocks in these soils. Straw/manure exchanges between crop farms and livestock farms could improve overall land fertility and thus the long-term income of farmers. Here we used a bioeconomic model to estimate the agronomic and economic benefits of straw/manure exchanges as part of a strategy to improve soil fertility. Iterative simulations were run with prices of farmyard manure varying from €0 to €20 ton−1 to identify the price at which a crop farm can buy manure and sell straw without degrading its net income (manure ceiling price) compared to purchasing mineral fertilizer only and ploughing back straw. Parallel simulations were run to identify the price at which a livestock farmer can sell manure and buy straw without degrading its net income (manure floor price) compared to keeping all manure on the farm and buying straw on the market. The key new contributions of this study are that it (i) considers the characteristics of manure beyond its short-term fertilizing value, i.e., better mineralization of humus and a 10% increase in crop yields, (ii) estimates both the economic and agronomic benefits of manure and (iii) assesses the impacts of uncertainties on manure effects and prices. The results show that it is profitable for a French farmer in a conventional field crop system to buy manure at a price between €10 ton−1 in the short term and €18 ton−1 in the long term. The results also show that it is still economically advantageous for a livestock farmer to sell part of their manure, even at a very low price. This study shows that it is possible to better distribute manure resources over a territory in a way that enriches the soils of crop farms without degrading the soils of livestock farms.

Factors affecting French rabbit farmers’ adoption of pro-welfare innovations

Consumers are increasingly animal welfare-conscious and critical of indoor caged housing systems such as those used in rabbit farming, and Europe has committed to legislate a ban on caged animal farming. Research has evidenced several technical and economic drivers of system change or lock-in in the livestock sector. Here we study determinants, motivations and/or resistance to adoption of pro-welfare practices among French rabbit farmers. First, we held 31 exploratory interviews with rabbit farmers and then performed a thematic analysis on the interview transcripts. We then assessed French rabbit farmers’ receptivity to change, using questionnaires containing 83 variables addressing receptivity to change, technico-economic characterisation of the farms, professional situations, and the personal and professional life of the rabbit farmers. Receptivity to change was evaluated through two synthetic variables summarising pro-change practices (changes already made on-farm to housing, management, feeding, etc.) and interest in innovation (receptiveness to novelty and relationship with innovation) graded on a 3-point scale (low, moderate, high). We analysed effects of technico-economic and sociodemographic variables (social attributes, internal and external motivations) on interest in innovation and pro-change practices using Chi-square tests and Cramer’s V. We collected 78 full questionnaires, i.e. covering 10% of the French population of professional rabbit farmers. Results showed a link between interest in innovation and pro-change practices (P&lt;0.001). Sociodemographic variables (33%, 21/63; P&lt;0.05) rather than technico-economic variables (5%, 1/19; P&lt;0.05) were linked to receptivity to change. Pro-change practices were more influenced by the variables capturing internal motivations (6/16, economic, technical, work facilitation, materialise the farmer’s interests) than external motivations (3/21, societal incentives, family group or social environment). The weight of the sociodemographic variables suggests that transition support systems should be thought out in terms of farmer attributes.

Experimental evidence of the impact of framing of actors and victims in conservation narratives.

Media narratives play a crucial role in framing marine conservation dilemmas by depicting human actors, such as fish consumers or the fishing industry, as responsible for negative effects of their actions on species and ecosystems. However, there is little evidence documenting how such narratives affect preferences for reducing bycatch. Behavioral science research shows that people can act less prosocially when more actors are responsible for a collective outcome (responsibility diffusion effect) and when more victims need to be helped (compassion fade effect); thus, the media's framing of actors and victims may have a significant effect on preferences. We conducted the first test of responsibility diffusion and compassion fade in a marine context in an online experiment (1548 participants in the United Kingdom). In 9 media narratives, we varied the type of actors responsible for fisheries bycatch (e.g., consumers and industry) and victims (e.g., a single species, multiple species, and ecosystems) in media narratives and determined the effects of the narratives on participants' support for bycatch policies and intentions to alter fish consumption. When responsibility for negative effects was attributed to consumers and industry, the probability of participants reporting support for fisheries policies (e.g., bycatch enforcement or consumer taxes) was ∼30% higher (odds ratio=1.32) than when only consumers were attributed responsibility. These effects were primarily driven by female participants. Narratives had no effect on personal intentions to consume fish. Varying the type of victim had no effect on policy support and intentions. Our results suggest that neither responsibility diffusion nor compassion fade automatically follows from increasing the types of actors and victims in media narratives and that effects can depend on the type of outcome and population subgroup.

Farmers' risk preferences in 11 European farming systems: A multi‐country replication of Bocquého et al. (2014)

AbstractWe replicate Bocquého et al. (2014), who used multiple price lists to investigate the risk preferences of 107 French farmers. We collected new data from 1430 participants in 11 European farming systems. In agreement with the original study, farmers' risk preferences are best described by Cumulative Prospect Theory. Structural model estimates show that farmers in the new samples are, on average, less loss averse and more susceptible to probability distortion than in the original study. Explorative analyses indicate differences between estimation approaches, as well as heterogeneity between and within samples. We discuss challenges in replications of economic experiments with farmers across farming contexts.

Paysans de la hess ? Les agriculteurs marocains, un nouveau groupe de producteurs dans la huerta provençale

La conjonction d’un système migratoire sous contrainte dans lequel sont insérés les ouvriers saisonniers agricoles marocains en France et le délaissement des espaces productifs agricoles français dans lesquels ils travaillent est à l’origine de leur reconversion en tant qu’exploitants agricoles. En s’installant à leur compte, ces travailleurs migrants et leurs enfants réactivent la vocation agricole de la huerta méditerranéenne. Ils renouvellent cependant ce système de culture selon des stratégies propres à ce nouveau groupe de producteurs provençaux issus de la migration. L’entreprise agricole leur apparaît comme un outil d’enrichissement par le biais de pratiques informelles.

SOCIAL INEQUALITIES INFLUENCING AWARENESS OF GOOD AGRICULTUAL PRACTICES AMONG SMALLHOLDER FARMERS IN MURANG’A COUNTY IN KENYA

Awareness of GLOBAL G.A.P. standards is the bedrock for the growth of export horticulture as it provides livelihoods to many small-scale farmers in developing countries. However, non-compliance with food safety requirements has evoked questions about farmers’ levels of awareness. Previous studies have overlooked the awareness-seeking behavior of smallholder farmers with diverse social characteristics. Therefore, this study was conducted in Murang’a County in Kenya to investigate the influence of social characteristics on awareness-exposure behavior among smallholder French bean farmers. The study systematically selected 115 small-scale French bean farmers. Questionnaires were administered through face-to-face interviews to elicit the data. Quantitative data were analyzed through descriptive and inferential statistics by employing Pearson’s correlation and the Chi-square test. The study found that farmers differed in their awareness of different components that constitute GLOBAL G.A.P. Gender, farmer’s position in household, occupation, and wealth status were among the social inequalities that had a significant influence on the awareness of GLOBAL G.A.P. standards. In addition, farmer’s participation in awareness forums and affiliation with multiple sources of information on GLOBAL food safety standards had a significant influence on their level of awareness. This study recommends that proponents of farming innovations should always consider the socioeconomic status of potential adopters.

Ex post analysis of the crop diversification measure of CAP greening in France

AbstractIn this article, we quantify the impact of the crop diversification measure implemented in France as part of the 2013 common agricultural policy greening reform. We exploit a discontinuity in the constraints imposed on farms larger and smaller than 30 ha, respectively, and apply regression differences-in-differences with a regression discontinuity set-up on land use data collected from a representative sample of French farmers. We find that farms greater than 30 ha increased compliance with the measure and the number of crops grown on their lands and that farms larger and smaller than 30 ha responded differently to the reform.

On the sustainability of the French food system: A macroeconomic assessment

AbstractThe French farm and food sectors face increasing societal pressures to engage in a sustainable transition. By defining ambitious environmental objectives and promising significant funds for green investment, the Green Deal roadmap of the European Union provides a unique opportunity to make this transition feasible. This paper assesses the current economic ability of the French food system to cope with the restrictions on fertilizers, pesticides, and land uses defined in this comprehensive roadmap. Integrating the most recent statistical evidence on the behaviors of French farmers and consumers into a macroeconomic simulation model, we find that these farm‐related objectives are reachable without seriously hampering the incomes of active farmers and transferring the burden onto foreign economies. These results are highly dependent on the currently unknown definition of high‐biodiversity landscape features.

Agrarian crises and producerist populism in French rural unions: limits and potential for an emancipatory rural politics

The article examines the reactions of two important agricultural trade unions in France, the ?Confédération Paysanne and the Coordination Rurale, to the liberalisation and financialisation of the ?European Common Agricultural Policy. It highlights the adoption of a "producerist populism" approach ?focused on the role of transnational economic and financial elites in co-opting the state, reducing ?public aid and as the main driver of the economic crises experienced by French farmers. The article ?traces the manifestations of this approach in the claims and analyses of the two unions in the face of ?recent economic developments in the wheat and dairy sectors in France. It argues that the producerist understanding of the crises in agriculture leads these two farmers unions, from opposite political backgrounds, to develop common arguments, opening to strategic alliances. Finally, based on the current ?debate on authoritarian populism in rural areas, the article discusses the interest in overcoming these ?narratives in favour of a more emancipatory rural perspective.?

Unintended Consequences of Environmental Policies: the Case of Set-aside and Agricultural Intensification

The objective of this paper is to evaluate the indirect impacts of a set-aside policy on the environment through crop intensification. We estimate a structural, multi-output model on a panel of French farmers from 2006 to 2010, accounting for multivariate selection (corner solutions) on crops and land use. We use a parametric and a semi-nonparametric (based on sieve estimation) version of a quasi-maximum likelihood (QML) estimator, compare their goodness of fit and parameter efficiency and check for closeness with a test for non-nested models. We then perform a simulation experiment based on elasticity estimates for set-aside area and input demand, to evaluate intensive margin effects of the set-aside policy. Results show that a set-aside subsidy can provide farmers with incentives to intensify their production, leading to potential adverse environmental effects.