Le programme de développement agricole du Tarn. Discussion par L. Malassis

The development programme in the tarn department - The professional advisors, noting that there exist development factors over wich the department's agricultural organisations have a direct influence, realised that concrete proposals should be formulated at this level, in order to obtain the greatest possible results from existing means. It also seemed to them necessary to establish, by means of greater collaboration, a certain complementarity between all the farming organisations in order to carry out operations converging on a Finally the aim of this development programme should be to improve the farmers' living conditions, especially to increase the income from farming and make farming attractive for young people. 2. The method used : There are to be four stages : The aim of the first stage was to define the problems of farming in the department in 1970 and sum up the situation. It began to encourage the farming organisations in the department to think about and define a department agricultural programme. The aim of the second stage was to define the main lines to be taken into account by the programme. It took the concrete form of a file : « Proposals for en agricultural development programme ». The third stage enabled a preliminary outline of a departmental programme to be defined, giving alternatives so as not to be limited to one tendency. During the fourth stage decisions were made ning the objectives selected and the action to be taken by the departmental programme. The programme selected emphasises : — forms of action that are to have priority since they are considered capable of having greater general influence on the agriculture of the Tarn department. These forms of action are : (a) the crops produced : winegrowing, lucern seed, graminaceae for fodder, tobacco, oil-producing plants, pigs, cattle for beef, ewes for milk. (b) the structures : grouped land development sche- .mes, group farming, plans for farm development, agricultural land groups, irrigation, voluntary exchange of land, substructure. (c) training and information : the setting up of development programmes in the framework of local groups, the training of the farmers and agricultural leaders. The « accompanying » forms of action were judged less important. The criteria were : markets, ensured by contracts, the number of farmers concerned, the profitability of the operation, the degree of perfection of the techniques, the possibility of rapid adaptation, the modernisation of the farms. 3. The Structures of Development. The implementation of the programme requires of the existing bodies an increased effort to satisfy the needs of the farmers who would like to take up these proposals. It is therfore essential that the strategies of the different bodies should be harmonised and directed towards the realisation of the agreed programme. A Tarn Agricultural Development Committee (CODAT) was set up. It is composed of representatives of the departmental farming organisations, advisory bodies, and civil servants. Its main task is to see that the conditions necessary for these objectives to be attained should exist side by side : coordination, concertation and information, finance. From time to time it takes stock of these operations and organises an annual round-table to facilitate the harmonisation of the different forms of action.