At the instance of the World Agricultural Truthful in Paris, the find out about highlights the twin good thing about the affiliation for the upkeep of peasant agriculture, referred to as Amap: strengthening the autonomy of farmers and enabling volunteers to be marketers… jointly.
The significance of citizen trade for the implementation of sustainable agriculture is on the middle of the convention program of the World Agricultural Truthful. Questions on “how to eat better?” » or to “how to produce differently?” » nonetheless draw in consideration.
One of the most answers to those problems: collective entrepreneurship thru associations for the upkeep of peasant agriculture (Amap). The aim of Amap is the weekly distribution of baskets of clean agricultural merchandise, with manufacturing subscription by way of contributors. Amapian cooperation is accomplished throughout the contractual engagement of voluntary shoppers within the manufacturing and direct sale of home meals merchandise. It’s in line with the will of contributors to keep up a correspondence and serve their collective.
In 2022, 375 Amaps are indexed in Ile-de-France by myself, or greater than 21,000 volunteer households in partnership with round 400 farms.
Our newest analysis effects, from interviews, indicate that this collaboration will increase the rural entrepreneur’s capability for motion and empowerment. It provides the rural manufacturer the facility to be the grasp of his possible choices as outlined within the preliminary Amap constitution established in 2003 after which revised in 2024. AMAPs convey an atmosphere of “capacity” – which permits the introduction or building of capability – in line with the status quo of a group and the availability of exterior sources and abilities.
The 4 ideas of Amap
The process of distribution, in addition to the costs, are collectively made up our minds between the rural entrepreneur and the contributors;
The subscription of the hampers by way of the contributors lets in the rural entrepreneur to are expecting the amounts for distribution and to protected his source of revenue, particularly in case of inadequate manufacturing;
Amapian shoppers take part within the lifetime of the farm (distribution of baskets, centralization of knowledge, help supplied to the farmer on his farm, and so on.);
In go back, the farmer undertakes to provide meals the use of strategies that recognize agroecology and to take part within the leadership of Amap.
Those ideas are written within the Amap Constitution.
Map of Amap in France. Amap Community Co-production, joint leadership and reciprocity of finding out
The voluntary participation of Amapian shoppers within the actions of farmers and marketers creates an peculiar operating courting. This isn’t in line with an worker courting with a bond of subordination, however on a horizontal courting in line with a gadget of co-production, co-management and reciprocity of finding out.
Those ideas are illustrated by way of the testimonies of Amap contributors:
In keeping with the main of co-production:
“With Mariana (producer), there was a potato project in September, and then she also asked to plant a hedge,” testified the interviewed president of Amapa.
At the concept of joint leadership of Amap:
“We have one general meeting a year of Amapa (…) to review things, to see if we will change the prices of the baskets, to see if there are people who have something to say, who have something to clarify,” recalled the interviewed client member.
In keeping with the main of reciprocity of finding out:
The latter is materialized by way of the id for the rural entrepreneur of the shopper’s wishes at the one hand, and the shopper’s consciousness of the practices and difficulties of the rural operator at the different.
“There is Allen, the market gardener, he is always there. He presents his activity to us, looks back at what went well, what went worse last year, what he sometimes foresees as a new culture and answers questions.” (President of Amapa.)
Briefly, voluntary shoppers develop into actors within the functioning of Amapa as unbiased voluntary contributors. Allow us to recall that volunteering actions are performed, consistent with researcher Leon Lemercier:
in whole freedom (this can be a private selection); in construction; for others or the group; without cost; with out limitation; for acting duties. Activism and entrepreneurship
Amapian cooperation permits joint leadership of commercial by way of sharing monetary dangers related to the vagaries of agricultural manufacturing. It unearths bonds of unity inside the territory and co-creates social price, as exactly defined by way of President Amapa:
“In addition to the distribution of baskets, it is also a civic commitment. This means that we want to develop the Amap movement as well. We are activists.”
This entrepreneurial and altruistic option to the peculiar employment courting renews the clinical literature dedicated to its research, corresponding to that of the susceptible eventualities of employees – transient paintings, decreased operating hours, hidden employment, and so on.
This unpaid employment is a part of a collective entrepreneurial undertaking, characterised by way of the union of complementary talents inside Amap. On this specific case, aggregating more than one voluntary contributions, albeit transient and low, can give a contribution to the improvement of agricultural job.
Volunteers convey explicit sources associated with their existence adventure: skilled talents, time availability and even organizational revel in structured by way of Amaps.
“I would say that the management problem is solved with our tools, that is, that for several years we were lucky to have a lot of IT programmers among our members,” mentioned the interviewed president of Amapa.
Amapian operating courting is due to this fact between volunteering and professionalization as a result of shoppers will strengthen the rural entrepreneur from the upstream to the downstream price chain of his job: from the principle purposes (manufacturing, advertising, logistics and distribution) to the strengthen purposes (human sources, knowledge gadget and management).
