Recreating the link between producers and consumers
Knowing where the products that we eat come from, reducing the number of intermediaries, having the opportunity to shake the hand of the person who grows our fruits and vegetables… It seems as if more localized circuits are being constructed. Is it just a fleeting fashion, or a true change in our society? We took a closer look at the subject.
Returning to the source
Shorter food circuits have always been around, as a possibility, mainly on the outskirts of cities. But this distribution method slowly disappeared throughout the 20th century, in the same measure as the “global food system” grew. Numerous changes took place: the emergence of rail shipping, strong growth in road transportation (notably refrigerated transport), the internationalization of markets, and the development of industrial supply structures. Distribution thus became globalized and industrialized, and the link between producers and consumers became ever more rare.
The Example of Paris
Two centuries ago, the average supply distance in the Paris region was roughly 150 km. Today, it’s around 660 km (averaging all products together, excepting only seafood). The distance has quadrupled in just 200 years.
It should be noted that there are important distinctions to make depending on the sector:
- Less than 500 km for grains, which are traditionally produced in the Parisian basin as it specialized over time in the production and export of grains.
- Up to 660 km for meat and milk, which are mainly produced in the western and northern parts of France.
- Roughly 800 km for fruits and vegetables, whose traditional production zones reach Spain, Italy, Africa…
If we widen the scope of this analysis, we’ll see that across Europe fruits and vegetables travel an average of 1500 km between the field and the consumer’s plate.
Renewing shorter circuits
But if the distances traveled by our food have grown, short circuits never completely disappeared. Although they’ve become a minority, they continued in numerous forms: in street markets, direct sales on farms, or through pick-your- own farms that in the later decades of the 20th century opened toward urban publics.
Yet following the health crises at the end of the 20th century, there was a rising demand coming from consumers, looking for quality local products. The term “quality” has become largely associated with ideas of proximity and knowing the origins of a certain product.
Progress then slowed for a bit before speeding back up in the past few years with new and innovative forms of short circuit production. This has meant an increased importance for agricultural production near cities. Nonetheless, we must note that such short circuits are still lacking in fame and consideration, including in national statistics. Essentially, they’re difficult to quantify as they are very diverse, very numerous and oftentimes of quite small size.
Supporting short circuits
Today, the future of short circuits depends greatly on the dominant systems of production, consumer expectations and practices, as well as the support structures put in place at the local level. And it’s at this local level that we see some real dynamism.
New support structures are appearing around the globe. For example, the RUAF is a foundation that aims to contribute to reducing urban poverty, improving food safety, improving urban environmental management, and promoting participative urban governance. The RUAF has installed programs in over 20 cities across Asia, Latin America, North America, Africa and Europe.
In Great Britain, short circuits were encouraged in the national position on agriculture for remote rural areas and traditional farms, as opposed to in urban areas, as a way to maintain the social fabric of agriculture. The “rural” role of short circuits exists in France as well. It is seen, for example in the actions undertaken by the Centre d’études et de ressources sur la diversification (CERD). Similar actions are seen at the level of regional institutions, through independent farmers’ groups, and through associations and businesses.
Consumers have played and continue to play a significant role in the emergence and installation of these types of distribution circuits. More and more consumers support and even create links through short circuits with nearby farmers.
A Detail: Short Circuits vs. Proximity Circuits
A bit of precision is needed here. Short circuits are oftentimes mixed up with the idea of proximity circuits. There is nonetheless an important detail that means the two distribution circuits have very different approaches.
Short circuits
There are various definitions, but we’ve chosen the one given by the French minister of agriculture in 2009: “A short circuit is a way of commercializing agricultural products that takes place:
- through direct sales from the producer to the consumer (farm sales, farmers’ market…)
- or by indirect sales, so long as there is only one intermediary between the farmer and the consumer (a specific merchant such as a butcher or restaurant owner)”
If we use this definition, we see that in the Paris region there were roughly 800 establishments selling in short circuits in 2010. That is roughly one out of every six establishments. The image below shows the figures in the region, based on a comparative analysis of farming between 2000 and 2010.
The Establishments / Traduction : 800 establishments in the Paris region participate in short circuits they represent: 16% of the region’s agricultural establishments and 9% of the region’s agricultural land. The amount of establishments practicing organic farming is higher in short circuits (11%) than in others (2%). Almost 2/3 have a principal activity in either field crops or polyculture field crops.
To broaden this analysis a bit, we also looked at how short circuits impacted things on a national level. According to the INRA, in France 1 farmer in 5 sells all or part of their production in a short circuit. Notably, 11% of those farmers working with short circuits also practice organic farming, which is 5x more than in traditional circuits. And for 57% of the farmers in short circuits, organic represents over half of their sales.
Most common sales locations for short circuits: AMAP 4%, Market resellers 5%, GMS 8%, Small shops 8%, Farmers’ markets 9%, Producers’ shops 9%, Organic stores 4%, Open-air markets 37%, Farms 16%.
We should note that there are geographic differences to be seen. The most well-developed short circuits are in the Southeast, North and Alsace regions. 67% of Corsican farmers use short circuits, no matter what products they’re selling. By profiting from a large base of consumers, almost 2/3 of vegetable farmers in the Paris region — and almost the same for fruit farmers — sell in short circuits. Oftentimes organized into sectors, farmers from Brittany typically use long circuits: only 18% of vegetable producers there distribute their products through short circuits.
The products available in short circuits are nonetheless quite diverse. Here are the top 10 products purchased through short circuits:
Most common products in short circuits : bread (5%), eggs (6%), fowl (9%), cheese (13%), meat (23%), yogurt (4%), wine/alcohol (2%), seafood (2%), vegetables (67%), fruits (45%).
Finally, it’s important to note that this sector has been significantly supported by the Ministry of Agriculture. In 2009, the Ministry presented a plan to support short circuits with the goal of better valorizing their products, creating jobs and putting in place “food governance” at a regional level. Following an extension of the “Grenelle de l’Environnement,” this plan aimed at increasing the amount of proximity products as a percentage of food purchases, benefiting both consumers and farmers.
Proximity circuits
According to France Agrimer, these circuits correspond to the idea of defining a “maximum distance between the production location and the sales location”. Nonetheless, the idea remains relatively vast, without any official or legal definition. Depending on if you’re talking in terms of farming, sales or ethics, and depending on who you’re talking to, this can include ideas of distance traveled by products, regional production, relationships with farmers, returning to traditional customs, respecting the seasons, etc. Proximity circuits can thus vary depending on the production in question — from, say, 30 km for simple products such as fruits and vegetables, or up to 80 km for those that undergo processing.
According to the ADEME, these circuits play a complementary role with artisans, food shops and other proximity-related shops. Here are a few such examples:
- open-air markets (the oldest type of shopping)
- farm sales (the shortest circuit of all)
- producer shops, regional sales platforms
- AMAP
- e-commerce
These proximity strategies are also developed in “standard” circuits, and can bring together numerous intermediaries.
Toward a Combination?
So a short circuit isn’t exactly the same as a proximity circuit, and vice versa. But there are also initiatives aiming to bring together the two approaches: both reducing the number of intermediaries and the distance traveled by food.
Innovation is touching all of areas of the sector: logistics (such as the organic farming platform that takes pre-orders online, La Ruche qui dit Oui), transportation (floating markets), marketing (developing brands in major chains that emphasize proximity — Casino and Le meilleur d’ici, for example).
Bonus tip: On our side, we’re starting to distribute our strawberries raised in the heart of Paris very soon. One thing is sure, we’re balancing things to find the best combo between proximity, great taste, and an unforgettable experience. Follow our Facebook page to have all the info ;)
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