THE ROLE OF AMATEURS IN VALORISING A LOCAL BREED - THE CASE STUDY OF THE GRISE DU VERCORS HEN

Abstract

In a world where agrobiodiversity has dramatically decreased over the past decades, various novel actors have developed alternative networks to preserve and maintain breeds and plant varieties on their territories. From farmers’networks to consumers’ organisations and amateur associations, these networks collectively define rules and develop projects that deal with agrobiodiversity with the objectives of protecting it and ensuring its maintenance at the regional and national levels. This thesis aims to explore the role of amateurs in protecting and valorising a local French breed of hens, the Grise du Vercors. Through an ethnographic approach and using the framework of the Commons, I conducted eleven semi-directed intervews in the Vercors region. Results highlight the existence of a complex system involving a variety of actors in charge of managing two types of resources: animals, and practices and knowledge linked to its care. Actors of the system defined, created, and control the breed, and have developed various channels to ensure the exchange of information and skills. This case study provides insight on the pivotal role of amateurs in preserving local breeds, and on the alternative governance forms and collective decision-making processes that they implement.