AGRICULTURAL SUSTAINABILITY IN DEVELOPED COUNTRIES:REFLEXIONS FROM THE FRENCH CASE

Abstract

Post-World War II agricultural modernization, the reduction of French agriculture to its productive function, legitimized the diffusion of a simple and unique productive model based on the objective of maximum physical yield. Today, on the contrary, agriculture must answer various new demands: increase product quality, manage rural areas and integrate the environmental problem, which involves a diversification of producers objectives. Differentiated productive models, specific to agroecological and socioeconomic situations of the producers should correspond to this diversified agriculture. In addition, these models should be flexible to be able to evolve in function of demands, of scientific knowledge and of available technologies. Although this new knowledge and these new technologies are generated by private enterprises and by public research institutions in function of demands of society, public policies continue to be the fundamental elements in determining the technological path which shall prevail. Agricultural policy, in particular, should consequently be redefined in a diversified way, both in order to become adequate to a multi-objective agriculture and to obtain the support of society which sustains it.