Jean, Séverin (2018) Rural Development and Food diversity in France. In: Food Diversity Between Rights, Duties and Autonomies. LITES - Legal Issues in Transdisciplinary Environmental Studies: Vol. 2 Springer. pp. 145-162. ISBN 978-3-319-75195-5

Abstract

In France today, there can be no rural development without food diversity, just as there is no food diversity without rural development. Food diversity through rural development is best illustrated by labels of quality and origin. In this way, we can see that food diversity is promoted by policies for rural development. Nonetheless, food diversity is sometimes hindered by rural development policy. A good example would be regulations concerning seed and seedlings, which can only be marketed after registration in the official catalogue. However, the criteria for registration exclude de facto certain types of seed, particularly those from seed saving practices, which leads to a decrease in food diversity. On closer examination, rural development promotes food diversity as much as it hinders it. In contrast, food diversity helps foster rural development. Producers try to both consolidate structurally and to become involved in every step of the marketing of their produce. Their aim is quite simple: to remove distribution intermediaries as much as possible by developing closer links to the end consumer