Contenu du sommaire : Agriculture et ville

Agriculture and Agricultural Actors in the Mesh of Urban Governance Territories: New Agriculture, New Professions ?For twenty years, massive and multifaceted urbanisation in France has led to the creation of new local authority suburban territories with dense built environements. But these new authorities are also of necessity obliged to negociate on agriculture matters since almost 75 % of the territory was originally agricultural. These evolutions bring about the emergence of new agricultural figures and identities. The suburban farmer tends to quit his status of agricultural producer to become n agri-urban entrepreneur responsive to the needs of the urban population not only for food but also for amenities. Our aim is to examine the aggiornamento in progress in the agricultural domain, both at the level of individual and of the collective.

Proximity Agriculture Facing Land Use Issues: Some Thoughts on the Case of the Île-de-France
At the same time as nature is becoming a force to be reckoned with on the agendas of politicians and in the demands of urban residents, there is also a renewed interest in agricultural issues in and near urban settings. New forms of organization, often innovative, are emerging in this context. The role of agriculture is strongly interrogated as is the future of the agricultural profession. The objective of this article is to review the issues of proximity agriculture and to provide through an analysis of land use conflicts a perspective on its feasibility and relevance in peri-urban areas. We start by addressing the issue of proximity agriculture and then, focusing on land use conflicts, we present the agricultural and agro-food business contexts in the Ile de France (Paris region). Finally, we propose an analysis of the developments of farmland in the region regarding land use conflicts. We show that conflicts in the areas close to the city are not linked to agricultural activities themselves but rather to the actual and expected reconversions of what was farmland.

Is Growing Food Within the City Sustainable? Urban Agriculture in Montpellier (France)Although agriculture has almost disappeared within towns it has become a subject of renewed interest for urban dwellers. Can agriculture contribute to the sustainability of the town? Our study of urban agriculture within the city of Montpellier is based on policy analysis, spatial analysis and the analysis of the practices and representations of urbam agricultural actors. We illustrate the great diversity in urban agriculture and the gap between the way agriculture is perceived in urban policy and its spatial realities. A dual and contrasting dynamic appears. Traditional patterns of agriculture, although still ocupying the greater land area, is in decline while new forms of agriculture emerge: gardens and agriparks generating interactions with town dwellers, involving interactions between public actors and citizens. These results are discussed in relation to the notion of urban sustainability.

Community Gardens Versus Family Gardens? Urban Reform and Controversies Around the Beautiful Garden and its Legitimate Use This article considers the structure of a contemporary urban reform in Geneva (as in other European cities) concerning family gardens the status of which is now in competition with the recent increase of new forms of community gardens. It highlights the ecological, rationalistic, aesthetic and ethical criticisms of various public or private “reformers” with regard to family gardens, and in doing so, contributes to legitimating community gardens. While this reform is presented as a necessity, it is only welcomed with a certain reserve by the spokespersons of the family allotment associations. When taking a position “for” or “against” the reform, all the social actors tend to refer implicitly to different socially situated modes of gardening and of lifestyles and these differences reveal how much the “urban agriculture” in reality masks – behind the visible consensus of which it is the object – heterogeneous social meanings.

To Integrate is to Survive: Urban Agricultural Practices in Three Southern Towns
Urban agriculture is extensively established in cities of southern countries. Though often absent from land planning policies, it manages to exist and adapt to urban constraints. The integration of agriculture into urban life has often been studied from a political, economic or environmental angle. We focus on studying this integration in socio-spatial terms and three examples are developed here in order to highlight different integration modes that result from urban farmers' practices: in Bobo-Dioulasso (Burkina Faso), farmers establish social relationships to ensure their access to productive resources; in Metro Manila (Philippines) the appropriation of practices and networks of actors at the local level is a guarantee for sustainability; and in Saint-Louis (Senegal), it is through forms of organization initiated by farmers that they are able to assert their interests with urban authorities.

Emergence and Effects of Urban Agriculture in Cuba
This article aims to analyze the development of urban agriculture in Cuba. Indeed, from a necessity induced by the crisis faced by the Island – due to the URSS collapse and the strengthening of the United States blockade – Cuba has built a model of agriculture recognized internationally for many reasons. We explore the causes of the emergence of urban agriculture in Cuba, before analyzing its different forms and repercussions in the social and cultural life of citizens.

The Rise of Urban Agriculture: an Epiphenomenon or a Slow Revolution ?
Urban agriculture seems to make a comeback in cities of Northern countries. Public, private, associative and also entrepreneurial initiatives are spreading. The enthusiasm accompanying the development of these initiatives is quite broad about the range of services provided: food but also social and environmental matters. However some discordant voices express serious doubts on the relevance of a usually non-professional agriculture. They consider it as peripheral in meeting the food needs of citizens, as a passing fad and even as an urban leisure; they also doubt it is real agriculture. This joint interview of Christine Aubry and Jean-Noël Consalès addresses the present debates related to urban agriculture development. They point out the existence of a great variety of forms of urban agriculture, which is a breeding ground for innovation and the sign of a possible huge transformation of the agricultural world.

From Regimented Spaces to Spaces for Pleasure: Transformations in Michelinville
The creation and rise of the Michelin Company in Clermont-Ferrand produced an industrial town with the paternalist spirit of the manufacturer. But the globalisation of capitalism has reduced the workforce force and increased the number of managers who are seduced both by a “new spirit of capitalism” and the quality of life promised by the opportunities of modern urban development. The capital of Auvergne is thus the witness of socio-spatial transformations. The production of regimented spaces where the life of the workforce was controlled is now replaced by the production of new control spaces for managers where their enjoyment is guaranteed through their consumption of leisure, culture and aesthetics.

Locales of Culture and Gentification. The Case of the “Maison des métallos” in Paris
There are nowadays numerous and diverse cultural sites within gentrifying neighbourhoods. This paper highlights the connections between these sites and their urban contexts. It aims to question the gentrification process with regard to the definition and role urban actors give to culture. The paper is centred on a Parisian cultural site, the ‘Maison des métallos'. Firstly, it presents the actors and processes that led to the emergence of this site within a gentrifying district. Secondly, it underlines the gap between the initial project on the one hand, and the actual cultural programming and the visitors' profiles on the other hand. Thirdly, it analyzes the forms of cohabitation/conflict between social groups that take place in and around the sites. In short, one could say that these gaps reveal various and divergent views of culture and of the city.