When Food Aid Supports Local Farming : Towards a Sustainable Solution ? Case Study in France

In Europe an increasing number of people require the assistance of food aid organizations, while the EEC is revising food aid funding. Access to fresh quality foods gets difficult, impacting people health.

This contribution is an original on-going case study assessing the impact of an innovative food aid supplying mode supporting small local farmers. Besides developing links between urban consumers and local producers, it reveals the current conditions shaping the creation of fair and sustainable markets.

This case study is based on the pluridisciplinary intervention research ECOALES in partnership with the ANDES (national association for food aid) which has set up in 2012 an innovative short supply channel for fruit and vegetable for solidarity grocery recipients, in the Western regions of France. Objectives are to increase fresh fruit and vegetable consumption among food aid recipients and support local farmers by buying their products at sustainable price via a pre-order system. The intervention also includes cooking workshops and visits to farms. The network of local farmers is organised by a coordinator in charge of deliveries to food aid outlets.

We will focus on the diverse constraints: creating links between shops and farmers who are spread over a large territory; the articulation between support to farmers in a difficult situation and regular supply in quality fruit and vegetable; meeting consumers’ expectations… We’ll also assess necessary adaptations and the sustainability of the system.

Fieldwork (including participant observation) follows the lines of global approach, including the diverse protagonists involved: farmers, solidarity food outlet staff, recipients as well as financial and political partners, representing institutions involved. The original methodology, combining interdisciplinary perspectives (anthropology, epidemiology and economy), offers finer understanding of what is at stake. The analysis should highlight the favourable conditions for the viability of such a project.