Document type : article published in Réussir
Author: Valérie Godement
Preview: Entitled "Images et représentations de l'agriculture dans la société française d'aujourd'hui" ("Images and representations of agriculture in French society today"), the study by the French Ministry of Agriculture's Centre d'études et de prospective explains that, while the world of agriculture is the subject of numerous descriptive and quantitative studies, the images and representations of it found in contemporary society are less studied and less use is made of them in public policies. It demonstrates how very different concepts of the world of agriculture are conveyed through the various communication channels and by different sources. It also considers representations of farming as cultural and symbolic constructs that are widely shared and shaped over time. Four of these portrayals of farming dominate current French society:
1- Small-scale family farming
2- Large-scale farming businesses
3- Farmers under pressure to intensify
4- Subsistence farms, scraping a living on a small scale
The study also discusses at three debates that currently affect representations of agriculture: agribashing, pesticides and animal welfare.
Link to the study Images and representations of agriculture in French society today
