The Circulation of Knowledge at the Time of the Agroecological Transition, the Case of the Drôme Valley (France)

Résumé En

The agroecological transition marks the passage from one system to another, different both in terms of agricultural production and valorization. It involves changes in ways of production, among which the creation and circulation of knowledge innovation merit attention. For this purpose, a long-term study (50 years) has been undertaken in the Drôme valley – Diois (France), nowadays a model region for this transition.The chapter first analyses the evolution and the superposition of the different models of agricultural operations. It goes on to discuss the hypothesis of the hybridization between the different knowledge types of the production process: traditional skills transmitted regionally, modern imported expertise, and the knowledge resulting from the experience gained during the transition. Field work allowed us to analyze this process. As a result, three types of transmitters could be identified: the “continuers”, the “networkers” and the “ecosystemers”. They belong to the places and networks of places whose spatial forms and production functions are outlined in the chapter.