Changes and adaptations of agriculture and agro food sector in France ; Mutations et adaptations de l'agriculture et de l'agro-alimentaire en France

Abstract

National audience ; This article proposes a reflection on the changes and adaptations of French agriculture. It emphasizes four key points: i) despite a significant decrease in the number of farms and a growing concentration of firms, agri-food sector plays an important role in terms of land use, environment and economic vitality of rural areas ; ii) the farms based on a family model are becoming fewer and fewer numerous: the development of agricultural societies allows farmers to benefit from better working conditions ; they facilitate the setting up of young people ; they permit to share the financial risks , iii) companies in the agro food sector try to reduce their production costs and to achieve a scale which is compatible with their competitiveness on international markets (where the German competition is increasingly intense) ; iv) beyond a few hotspots, France and Germany have a common ambition for the future of the CAP.