Organizing Markets for the Valuation of Bean Cultivars in France

In the face of growing social, environmental and economic crises, certain crops are being (re)valued more than others for their capacity to enhance agri-food system sustainability and transitions. Considered as "foods of the future", pulses are currently subject to renewed interest, as they are tied to various promissory economic and non-economic value claims, particularly in Europe where they have been significantly marginalized since WW2. Acknowledging the organizational basis of value and the interconnection between standards and values in economic contexts (Beckert & Aspers, 2011), this paper explores valuation processes for markets focusing on two dry bean cultivars in France. Participant observation and semi-structured interviews with various socio-economic actors are used as primary data sources. Whilst these two beans pertain to the same plant species, they are genetically distinct, belonging to separate place-bound, sociohistorical contexts. In one case, the Geographical Indication certification plays a fundamental role in standardizing value for the locally-produced lingot bean, one of the essential ingredients used in "authentic" cassoulet. Though the bean has reached a somewhat "standardized commodity" status after thirty years of territorial production, farmers are currently facing challenges tied to drought and climate change, calling into question the cultivar's need for genetic renewal. Alternative practitioners, including organic farmers, citizen-gardeners and researchers are also imagining new ways of valuing the bean. In the second case, a pool of market members is being carefully selected to construct value around a heirloom bean cultivar, based on informal, non-standardized, shared values. For both cases, notions of future and past value influence, albeit differently, market development for each bean today. The paper asks : Which value(s) are prioritized in the market-making process ? How are these values organized at different stages of market development and by different actors ? How do actors engage with standards for creating market value(s) ?