The French Family Farm: An Outmoded Institution?

Résumé 0

The family farm, as an institution, has been shaken up by the evolution of agriculture. Is this model really dying out? How have the relationships between family and farm changed? Our proposition here is to analyse the relationships “family - farm” by exploring four patterns: the peasant farm, the modernized family farm, the farm enterprise as a model of the post-family farm, and the strongly diversified rural corporation. Each of them represents a standard model that we will describe through the links between professional and domestic space. Even though the examination of these four models obviously does not allow us to deal fully with the various forms of agricultural activities, it does raise the question of the divide between farming skills and professional status, as well as the issue of determining the scope of the farm operation and with it, that of the so called “agricultural” family.