When you start the “agricultural installation process” in France, especially in the sustainable agriculture field, you automatically discover a large quantity of organizations that can help you (some institutional and lots of engaged). It’s impressive, even too much! (according to dutch criteria)
We have known some of them during our 8-days ADEAR course, and others here and there. Here is an interesting selection of them:
– Terre de Liens: also known as TDL, it’s a very iconic nonprofit organization whose main goal is to buy agricultural lands, only with citizen savings, to install new small-scale farmers and to preserve these lands from land speculation. Actually, TDL is the owner of about 150 farms. It was founded in 2003 by Sjoerd Wartena, a dutch!
– ADEAR: it’s a nonprofit organization of farmers and rural stakeholders whose main goal is to support and install small-scale farmers. For that, they share their experiences and knowledge, organize courses, help new farmers installation, accompany the transmission, etc.
– CIVAM: it’s a group of farmers and rural stakeholders whose main goal is to valorize agriculture and rural environment. For that, they mainly organize courses, farm visits, exchanges… They also test new practices, start rural initiatives, help installation and transmission of farms, etc.
– CAJ: or “Comité d’Action Juridique” (Legal Action Committee). It’s a nonprofit organization, based in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, providing a legal and human support to rural people, especially to farmers. It can help for example to redact a good contract for agricultural land renting.
– AFOCG: it’s a nonprofit organizations helping and educating farmers to manage their business, especially the economic site. They organize for example regular collective workshops where farmers do their accounting together, helped by an adviser.
– L’Atelier Paysan: it’s a cooperative organization, created by small-scale farmers, that collaboratively develops and creates tools and machineries based on the open-source model. It proposes more than fifty tool designs, allowing farmers to build them by themselves. On their website they also have a forum where farmers describe their DIY (infrastructures, tools, constructions…)
– Pôle InPACT: it’s a network of agricultural organizations (including some above). The goal of such a meta-organization is to have more visibility and strength, especially in front of public institutions, to promote a sustainable and organic agriculture.
– Confédération Paysanne: it’s THE trade union for small and middle-scale farmers working in the sustainable agricultural field. It’s a member of the famous Via Campesina movement.