Bread and food sovereignty through 'semences paysannes': action research on agroecology, heritage grains, and regional markets in Eastern France

Keywords: food sovereignty, agroecology, action research, environmental justice
Session Type: Virtual Paper Abstract
Day: Friday
Session Start / End Time: 2/25/2022 05:20 PM (Eastern Time (US & Canada)) - 2/25/2022 06:40 PM (Eastern Time (US & Canada))
Room: Virtual 43

Abstract

This paper presents observations from a two-year action research and agricultural development project focused on heritage grains and on-farm seed saving (e.g., semences paysannes) in the Grand Est region of Eastern France. The project is a collaboration between a local organic agriculture organizations, university-based researchers, and local farmers. It aims to contribute to the preservation of water resources by strengthening agroecological practices and supporting the development of regional markets for heritage cereal grain products, including bread, an integral feature of many cuisines in France. The project seeks to support an emerging farmer network around the use, conservation, multiplication and selection of seeds; to improve knowledge about ‘semences paysannes;’ and to help create local supply chains in the region. At several stages of the project, collective discussions between farmers, researchers, the organizational partners, and local government will deepen understanding and action about interest in, and meaning for food sovereignty -- in either the social movement sense (e.g., self-determination in the context of the neoliberal global food system) and/or the national sense (e.g., governmental concern for national-level food security produced through French agriculture). This paper reports on preliminary findings from the first year of action research and network development, and the implications for food sovereignty at multiple scales of the agrifood system.