The role of producers and consumers in local agriculture

The purpose of the project is to provide a showcase for the Pays du Bugey on a much larger scale, in other words, identify Bugey as a diversified agricultural land, which is growing and at the same time caring for its environment. The final goal is to move the agriculture towards becoming a sustainable agriculture: to think about its potential, the demands and the land structures available (respect for consumers, wealth distribution, support to producers ...) and convey the image of Bugey as a wine and truffle land, by communicating about its non-traditional farming and offering promotion packs of "local produce" to visitors and consumers.

Agriculture in Bugey is changing. The LAG of Bugey is not an agricultural sector characterized by large dairy or cattle farms but the gardening market is growing, and wine-growing is also benefiting from a recent Controlled Designation of Origin (CDO). Moreover, unconventional activities are also numerous: the growing of saffron, snails, berries. Also, truffle growing has recently enjoyed a significant development in interest and the actions in this context are varied (truffle market, producer groups, experimental truffle growing...). These local productions meet a growing demand. Indeed, the cooperative outlet of Bugey works very well, a system of local contracts between consumers and producers has now been in existance for some years in Bugey and another one is recently born.

→ Uniting local stakeholders (network of consumers and producers) → Discuss about the theme of local food systems and supply → Highlighting the diversity of local productions ('local produce promotion packs' and hampers) In the long-term, → Linking agriculture and gastronomy: dishes based on local products, choosing wine in accordance with foods and dishes, agricultural and gastronomic tours ... The aim of cooperation is to exchange with other territories already involved in such efforts, to take part in discussions and to identify the strengths and weaknesses of such projects. Subsequently, meetings can be arranged on site in order to visit existing structures: cooperative outlets, grouping of producers, selling of hampers of local products (fruit and vegetables), and education.

Hungary, Italy, Slovenia, United Kingdom, Greece, Ireland, Sweden, Czech Republic, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Malta, Poland, Austria, Bulgaria, Estonia, Spain, Slovakia, Belgium, Germany, Finland, Romania, Cyprus, Denmark, France, Lithuania, Latvia

English, Italian, French

Agriculture, Nature/environment/land management, Products(food), Promotion

02/08/2011