Market gardening on micro-farms in the French Alps : the case of Beaufortain, France

Abstract

The Beaufortain is an alpine valley, located in Savoie, internationally known for the production of Beaufort PDO cheese since 1968. The arrival of the Projet Alimentaire Territorial (PAT) in 2020 has set in motion a collective reflection on the structuring of a more localized food system and therefore more adapted to climate change. This study responds to the request of the Association d'Animation du Beaufortain (AAB) to establish a market gardening scenario on communal agricultural land. The thesis follows a qualitative and participatory approach, combining semi-directive interviews and a group interview. It traces a short history of market garden production in the valley, where the presence of gardens remains strong. The study presents the characteristics of a market garden micro-farm in a mountain area, defined mainly by a double activity at an altitude of 800 m or more, the use of an agro-ecological technical system adapted to the specific soil and climate conditions, as well as a global life project, linked to a strong territorial anchorage. It identifies the obstacles to its development, such as the difficulty of accessing agricultural land, the complexity of supply and demand, as well as a lack of structuring of the territorial market gardening sector. The study is action-oriented. The main lever for action is the creation of an educational and tourist market garden that would involve local actors and citizens. Other levers are identified such as promoting a diversity of farms on the scale of the valley, co-constructing change by mobilising a multitude of actors. The thesis contributes to the reflection on the dynamics of food relocation in a PDO cheese production area.