Réflexions sur la recherche et le développement

Thoughts on research and development - The writer's point of view is that of a stockbreeder taking advantage of « Development » as it exists at present, and he lists a series of personal observations. He notes the apparent failure of « development » if one considers the percentage of its participants. In part he attributes this to French farmers' reluctance to belong to any organisation. The position of the Farmers, who in the end control development, is ambiguous. Development is by its very nature progressive ; farmers are on the whole conservative. But the recent technical and economic progress of French farming is obvious (except for stockb reeding) but for the most part it is transmitted by other channels than the official development services. The latter have an unweildy, centralised framework and take up time and money ; they are fraught with professional rivalries that neutralise them. The writer challenges the principle itself : he thinks it is too ambitious to try to set up as-yet-non-existant farm policy, to planify and build models of French agriculture, where men and areas vary considerably. Planning and model-building seem to him in contradiction with encouraging individuals to assume their responsibilities. Moreover, however imperfect it may be, the sum total of personal decisions made by men both trained and untrained would, on the whole, be more efficient and less expensive than the Plan. Regarding technical institutes — two ambiguities are pointed out : they consider themselves scientific but are the tools of a one-sided professional policy ; they should first and foremost « apply » results but very often they encroach on the field of research. There is also ambiguity in development as regards the economic bodies : though often efficient this form of development does not necessarily coincide with the interests of the farmer.