The transformations that agriculture is undergoing require farmers to acquire entrepreneurial skills to capture added value, particularly in farm product and short circuit strategies. To engage in agriculture today is to choose a profession where there is no problem of outlets. The big question is the "how". The answer lies in training.
Jacques Mathé has a strong link with agriculture, to which he also brings an economist's eye. In 1984, with a master's degree in economics in his pocket, Jacques Mathé was hired by the Deux-Sèvres Chamber of Agriculture to train farmers in management. His curiosity and his desire to share his knowledge and experience led him, while preparing a DEA in regional planning, to discover other agricultural models in Canada, Quebec and the USA. From these explorations he acquired a conviction: "the farmer must analyse his market and his outlets, like an entrepreneur. He then became passionate about rural economics and became an associate professor of economics at the University of Poitiers, with the desire to "keep one foot in the boot". Today, he develops a consulting activity and collaborates with the University's rural economy laboratory, where he continues to give lectures. His latest book, "Une agriculture du vivant", was published in 2020 by Libre et Solidaire.
In our latitudes, global warming will limit our production capacity. Secondly, the scarcity of arable land due to the artificialization of the soil is putting pressure on land. We are about to enter a phase where volumes will not be able to grow as they did during the thirty glorious years, when limits and the environment were not yet issues. Finally, the need to take the environment into account is forcing farmers to change their methods and cultivation practices and to move towards very diversified strategies. The agricultural landscape has been turned upside down and we have to adapt.
Alongside the classic model based on volumes, monocultures and large areas, three new strategic axes are emerging. The first is based on more qualitative production, with its own characteristics, such as standards or origins, within the framework of a partnership between the farmer and one or more major players in the agri-food industry and on the basis of specifications. This is typically the case for 'C'est qui le patron' milk, negotiated at the level of the dairy industry. The second strategy is to choose agroecological methods and practices. This model, which is developing, requires the acquisition of new technical skills. The lever for this change is training. It is crucial that agro-ecology and organic farming be integrated into training schemes. The third strategy is to connect directly with end customers by selling products directly. This is the revolution of the short circuit and of local and farm products.
"Going into agriculture today means choosing a profession where there is no problem of finding an outlet. The big question about the profession is the "how".
In this strategy, the farmer adds value to all or part of his production by processing it himself. He sells his farm products directly and delivers them in his region and beyond. It is a strategy that strongly reconnects each farm to its territory, with its agronomy and its particular soils. In this configuration, the territory, as a carrier of values, embodied in a landscape, is a powerful differentiating factor and gives value to farm products. Take the example of the Aldudes Valley, one of the most isolated mountains in France, which has given a new lease of life to the Basque pig. This area now has an excellent employment rate and a record number of farms. So yes, if we look at it from a territorial point of view, "ferme France" has enormous potential for creating value. But it is a real challenge for the training of farmers.
These transformations require additional and new skills, because in addition to agricultural techniques, the farmer must master new trades depending on the strategies he chooses. He may have to train in cooking, baking, commerce, logistics, etc. Entrepreneurial skills must be acquired to capture added value in these farm products. Going into agriculture today means choosing a profession where there is no problem of outlets. As an economist, I don't know many sectors of activity that offer such visibility. The big question of the profession is the "how". It will have to be answered, and once again, the answer lies in training. It is an exciting prospect.
