Inégalités et solidarités dans l'agriculture française. Un point de vue professionnel

The strengthening of the solidarity in agriculture in order to reduce inequalities is particularly difficult to carry out as agriculture is the only sector where incomes are not increasing whereas all other social categories have seen their purchasing power rise steadily. This gap between farmers and non-farmers should not make us forget the inequalities within the agricultural sector itself. There are in fact important disparities between regions and between production systems although a certain reduction can be observed in spite of an unfavorable conjecture. The farmers, well aware of the existing inequalities between them and of the necessity to obtain a parity with the other sectors, have created a great number of solidarity structures wich they prefer to run them-selves. Consequently, farmers have gone together in vast solidarity effort for supply, processing and marketing of products, for financing farm operations and for securing a better protection. In order to overcome inequalities in the future, a maximum of possibilities should be given to the farmers particularly in the field of extension service and professional training where there exists an important lag. It is essential to supply young farmers who enter agriculture with all necessary means in order to thrive in their particular fields.