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In a context of agro-ecological transition toward greater sustainability in productive systems, farming activities should tend towards a process of diversification. Indeed, specialisation produces negative externalities that limit the sustainability of farming activities and their territories (Kremen and Miles, 2012; Lurette et al., 2016; Puech and Stark, 2023). Nevertheless, the specialisation of areas in specific agricultural activities is an almost natural process (Chatellier and Gaigné, 2012; Gaigné, 2024), due to the differences in the endowments of areas and gains in efficiency through economies of scale and economies of agglomeration. Thus, despite agricultural policies that encourage the diversification of farming activities, in 2020, 29% of French farms are specialised in field crops, 12% in beef cattle and 10% in winegrowing (Barry, 2022).
GI are widely considered as tools to promote sustainable development (Vandecandelaere et al., 2018 ; Touzard et Ollagnon, 2007 ; Casabianca et Touzard, 2009; Regolo et al., 2023) and are increasingly important in France. Between 2010 and 2020, the proportion of French farms declaring a GI in the Agricultural Census increased by 5 percentage points, with 18% of french farms having a PDO and 8% have a PGI in 2020 (Barry, 2022). However, the geographic anchorage and the success of some GIs may reinforce the specialisation of regions.
In this paper, we investigate the question of the impact of geographical indications (GIs) on sustainability through the prism of the diversification of agricultural activities at regional level.
This was the aim of the Carrefour de l'Innovation Agronomique (CIAg) workshop which took place in Toulouse, France, on November 2023. We begin by defining the issue of the sustainability of GI areas and the agricultural anchoring processes at work. Secondly, we show the results of five case studies on the GIs impact on the diversification or specialisation of French regions (NUTS-2). Lastly, we outline some recommendations for innovation in GIs and discuss lessons and prospects for the development of GIs and their territories.
We show that GIs have a fairly positive impact on the sustainable development of France's regions, and that their diversification in the same area reinforces these effects, both economically and environmentally. PDOs can be a factor of diversification at several levels, at farm level by diversifying sources of income, but also at regional level by maintaining a diversity of activities and opening market opportunities (case studies in NUTS-2 regions of Corsica and Languedoc-Roussillon). However, there is a significant risk of intensifying the specialisation of agricultural production as soon as their economic performance/creation of value becomes particularly attractive for the region (examples: Champagne, winegrowing, spirits, Comté).
Revising the requirement of specifications is not the only way to increase the sustainability of GIs. The analysis of territorial dynamics and discussions during the worshop show that GI governance, organised at a regional level, is a powerful driving force of collective action for agricultural transformation.
