Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
between peach producer groups and local markets, and development of rural tourism
initiatives, are virtually non-existent in contrast to the gradual integration of the local wine
industry.
The human-societal dimensions of the regimes could be seen as determined by the
CAP, alienating farmers from the market. It is significant that 50 producer groups were
created in order to withdraw production. The use of new technology contributed towards
the intensification of production and a broad range of related agents and actors were
formed. Informal provision of information and advice by agri-chemical suppliers and
equipment providers eclipsed the role of public extension officers (Koutsouris, 1999).
Dependence on subsidies also influenced the formation of clientelistic relations through
direct partisan linkages between the heads of farming cooperatives, central government and
party leaderships bypassing local administrations and, in many cases, disrupting linkages
with local society.
The agri-food regime in Lannion Bay, has been differentiated into two sub-regimes:
food production and food consumption. The food production sub-regime was key as it was
affected by changes imposed in order to mitigate algal proliferation ('marées vertes' or
'green tides'), which appeared even with an average N concentration of 30 mg/l. Nitrogen
in river water is the only factor that can be readily influenced to limit algal growth rates
(Ménesguen, 2003). The technical solution proposed recently has been to increase the area
of grassland and decrease the extent of cropland in the territory, in order to limit nitrate
losses. To achieve this collective goal, farmers were encouraged to decrease areas of corn
and increase grassland, with a collective target of 60% grassland in the Utilised
Agricultural Area (UAA) of the watershed before 2015. This measure introduced more
complexity into local farm systems, creating problems in terms of winter fodder provision
and the reduction of dairy production (LTA and BV-LDG, 2010).
The local food system is based on long supply chains and agri-industrial processing of
dairy products which is well established in Brittany. Cooperatives and private firms are
commercially powerful and are able to influence farmers' decision-making through
business opportunities. Green Algae Plan measures appear to conflict with the current
dynamics of downstream industries, which have not developed a strategy around local
production techniques and quality since their preferences lie with large volumes,
standardized products and exports, although tourism has been a mainstay of the local
economy in Lannion Bay. The proliferation of green tides causes considerable
inconvenience for this sector, not only in terms of physical, visual and olfactory impacts but
also in terms of health. The decomposition of algae on the beaches creates H
2
S vapour, a
gas which is highly toxic to humans and other terrestrial animals (INERIS, 2009). An
estimation of decline in property values in the littoral lies between 30% and 50% and the
number of summer tourists has dropped by about 20% (SCE, 1999).
The public utilities service SWM provides the institutional setting for the supply of
potable water in Mangfall. SWM and the Municipality of Munich are unpopular with many
farmers because they have been buying land within the catchment since 1880. In 1911,
around 1,164 ha had been bought whilst in 2011, this figure had more than doubled to
around 2,700 ha. In 1950, a village located in an area later designated as a water protection
area was purchased, the inhabitants resettled and their houses demolished. Intensification of
agriculture in the region resulted in an increase of nitrogen concentration in potable water.
As a response, in 1992 the SWM founded the Organic Farming Support Programme and
secured the Organic Farming Association as a partner to fulfil consultation and
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