The systeme agraire concept in francophone peasant studies

Hubert Cochet (1, 2)

1 AgroParisTech
2 PRODIG (UMR_8586 / UMR_D_215 / UM_115) - Pôle de recherche pour l'organisation et la diffusion de l'information géographique

Among the many concepts used in farming systems research, the agrarian system-système agraire-stands out in the works of francophone agronomists, agricultural economists and geographers. It is an all-encompassing concept, capable of making sense of agricultural activities at a regional scale in a way that accounts for both ecological and socioeconomic dimensions. The objective of this article is to trace the evolution of this original concept, reflect on the difficulties inherent to its use, and examine its relevance to agricultural research. After exploring its origins and development within the French school of Comparative Agriculture, the author analyzes its components in terms of constituting sub-systems. Next, the challenges associated with the agrarian system approach are addressed, particularly in terms of boundaries and scales of analysis. Part four discusses the similarities and differences between this approach and others, more commonly used by non-francophones. The article concludes with a discussion of the usefulness of the approach in terms of identifying obstacles to agricultural development.

Mots clés: Farming system; Peasant studies; Comparative Agriculture; Agrarian system

Domaines: Géographie; Agriculture, économie et politique; Agronomie

Hubert Cochet. The systeme agraire concept in francophone peasant studies. Geoforum, 2012, 43 (1), p.128-136. ⟨10.1016/j.geoforum.2011.04.002⟩. ⟨halshs-01374272⟩