An inventory of brownfield helped to identify and characterize 4

"It should not accept to let the crisis destroying whole sections of European agriculture for the reality of the market," declared early in the week in Copenhagen the European Commissioner for Agriculture, Romanian agriculture. Number of large French cities have in any case not expected this speech to translate into action their concern to preserve a farming environment diverse in peri-urban areas.

A framework convention to Nantes

In high population growth, the Nantes conurbation and soon landed the question of the maintenance to its doors of this type of very singular space. Agriculture occupies 60 of the territory of the Nantes urban community, namely 13.200 hectares of shared useful agricultural area between 330 operations (more than 400 a decade ago). The sector directly employs 1,400 people. From the beginning of the Decade, Nantes métropole was signed and renewed a framework convention with the Chamber of agriculture of Loire-Atlantique and the Safer land operator. With the key "zoning" creation to ensure agricultural and natural spaces for twenty years, explains Jean-Pierre Legendre, Vice President of Nantes métropole. An inventory of brownfield helped to identify and characterize 4.300 hectares. Aid also to promote the reclamation. Nantes métropole also supported the creation of two permanent places of direct sales and a series of events aimed at promoting short circuits. Depending Jean-Pierre Legendre, these efforts have helped to stem the decline in the number of farms for three to four years, "even if it remains fragile".

A project in Lyon

It has been since the mid-1990s that the urban community of Lyon cares about preserving some 10,000 hectares agricultural which constitute more than 20 of its territory. "The discussions conducted for more than two years with the representatives of the agricultural world have accelerated awareness of the economic role of these areas despite the urban pressure," stated Gilles Assi, vice President at the Grand Lyon. Recently a project upgrading and extension of the vegetable area on the communes of Décines was presented and Vaulx-en-Velin, in the first Crown, in connection with the Chamber of agriculture and the Safer. The idea is to enable young farmers to settle with guarantees on the duration. "To accompany them at the outset, we plan to make available to them the equivalent of business incubators", is an elected official. And, in parallel, further enhancing all forms of distribution of proximity: direct sales, group producers, markets stores, etc.

An agricultural Charter in Marseille

In the urban area of Marseille, at the gates of the capital itself, the country of Aubagne protects 800 hectares of agricultural land. This is almost twenty years, with an agricultural Charter to maintain miscellaneous activities, it is resistant to urban pressure. The number of productive farms now exceeds 100, is a rich stream of 1,000 direct and induced jobs. To achieve this result, Metropolitan modernized irrigation networks allowing to fertilize 300 hectares of plain peri-urban areas with a water prices secured over twelve years, launched the restoration of the "shades" which allowed veterans to install their cultures to hillside or created a collective mark to make the promotion of local crops on the markets and in large areas of the region. Finally, the land master helped young farmers to settle on reserved land reassigned to them with a loan zero over ten years. In total, Metropolitan thus saved real estate speculation over 870 hectares very coveted at the gates of Marseille.