Geoffroy Enjolras

Risk-sharing policies in the context of the French Flood Prevention Action Programmes

This article analyzes the consequences for risk distribution of the French Flood Prevention Action Programme (PAPI). By redirecting floods from the most vulnerable to the least vulnerable areas, PAPIs expose farmers to greater flood risks. This has led local water management institutions to introduce compensation payments. The article outlines the results of an exhaustive survey of all PAPIs in France, which examined the way the compensation policies are set up locally. Results of the survey showed that the proposed policies may be financially non-viable. Several more viable risk-sharing solutions are then discussed, involving insurance schemes, state intervention and local institutions.

Valuing lagoons using a meta-analytical approach: Methodological and practical issues

Lagoons are naturally complex ecosystems whose dynamics are strongly influenced by anthropic factors. Therefore, their value depends not only on their characteristics but also on the nature of the interactions, whether positive or negative, between mankind and nature. Starting from a representative set of 31 original studies exclusively devoted to coastal lagoons valuation, we estimate a meta-analytic function of value transfer. Using a resampling technique, we then determine a transfer value and find a mean transfer error of 87% and a median error equal to 24%, between the predicted value and the original ones. This raises the problem of divergences between individual valuations for natural assets.

Combining participating insurance and financial policies: A new risk management instrument against natural disasters in agriculture

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to examine a new insurance policy against natural disasters. Design/methodology/approach - The authors propose an optimisation model, which involves both the insurer and the farmer. The farmer decides to insure his farm if and only if insurance improves the utility he is expecting over a given year. Therefore, the paper takes the perspective of an insurer who wants to maximise the farmers wealth, so that he will be more likely to subscribe the policy. The choice and combination of the policies are then determined and designed by the insurer to reach that aim. Findings - The paper proves that the market for insurance could grow with a combination of participating contracts and market-based instruments. The first cover individual risks while the second cover systematic risks. Practical implications - The new policy leads both the insurer to manage small and large risks and the insured to be financially interested. It also provides an optimal coverage against natural events for insured farmers. Originality/value - The paper offers many perspectives for the renewal of the crop insurance market using new instruments.

Short food supply chains and the issue of sustainability: a case study of French fruit producers

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the manifestations and interactions at work between the ecological, environmental and social dimensions of sustainable development and the development of short food supply chains (SFSCs) in French fruit production. Design/methodology/approach The methodology is based on the theoretical framework associated with SFSCs and each pillar of sustainability. The authors use an original database of 176 surveys of peach and apricot producers from the major French production regions. Three composite indicators, one for each traditional pillar of sustainability, are calculated to evaluate a degree of sustainability at farm level. A simultaneous equations model is estimated on the basis of the calculated indicators. Findings The results show that in the choice of a supply chain design in the agricultural sector, the search for economic sustainability is opposed to a rationale of environmental and social sustainability, the latter appearing to be independent of one another. Originality/value This paper complements the previous studies on the issue of sustainability in agriculture and more specifically the relationship between the adoption of SFSCs and the pillars of sustainable development. The model reveals significant interdependencies, thus emphasizing an issue in reconciling economic imperatives with social or environmental requirements.

French labour-force participation in organic farming

Many farms are converting or plan to convert their production towards environmentally-friendly practices. This article analyses the essential contribution of labour force - holder, family and employees - on the adoption of organic farming. We use the 2010 exhaustive census of French farms for its accuracy. To comprehend to what extent labour force influences the decision to adopt the organic farming certification, a logit model is implemented. The results emphasize that organic farming translates into different labour patterns which highlight the participants’ involvement and their degree of qualification and experience. Their qualifications rather than the number of stakeholder groups appear essential in the development of organic farms.

Between the approved and the actual dose. A diagnosis of pesticide overdosing in French vineyards

In this article, we explore the factors leading winegrowers to apply pesticide doses exceeding the official recommendations. Our approach is founded on an original methodology that determines practices of overdosing by matching four databases in 2006: the Farm Accountancy Data Network (FADN); the cropping practices survey (PK) in the winegrowing sector; the e-phy database operated by the French Ministry of Agriculture and Food, which identifies authorised doses per input; and climatic data measured by the Meteo France meteorological office. Our sample, which contains 105 vineyards throughout France, reveals that 50% of these winegrowers never overdose, while 24% systematically apply excessive doses of pesticides. The latter group benefits from a comfortable financial situation, but suffers from an unfavourable climate.