The Green Belt Pays de Béarn

Status
ongoing
50%
City

Pau

Main actors

City Government, Community / Citizen Group

Project area

Whole City/Administrative Region

Duration

Ongoing since 2020

The Green Belt Pays de Béarn is a co-operative enterprise that was formed by the Metropolitan Area of Pau, the Chamber of Agriculture of the Pyrénées Atlantiques, and La Ceinture Verte Group in early 2020. It has an ambitious goal to settle 100 farmers on small surfaces (around 2 hectares) within seven years and significantly increase the number of vegetables, fruit, milk and meat produced and consumed locally. This initiative strives to invigorate the local economy, improve food security, and minimize the area's environmental impact.

 Originally published by Eurocities: LINK

Sustainable Development Goals

End hunger, achieve food security and improve nutrition and promote sustainable agricultureEnsure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all agesPromote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for allMake cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainableTake urgent action to combat climate change and its impactsPromote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels

Eurocities Awards

This project was awarded the 'Eurocities Awards' in 2024 in the following category: Sustainable Food Systems: empowering people.

City
Pau, France
Size and population development
As of the latest official census in 2020, the city of Pau had a population of 77,130 inhabitants. The urban area of Pau, which includes the city and its surrounding suburbs, had a population of approximately 162,000. The population has been relatively stable over the past few decades, with slight fluctuations.
Population composition
Pau has a diverse population, with a significant number of students due to its university. The city also attracts retirees and has a growing international community from various European countries, North Africa, and other parts of the world. The population tends to be slightly younger than the national average due to the presence of the university.
Main functions
Pau is the capital of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in the region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. It is known for its picturesque setting at the foot of the Pyrenees mountains, its rich history, and its cultural heritage. The city is an important administrative, educational, and economic centre for the region. Pau is home to the University of Pau and Pays de l'Adour and serves as a gateway to the Pyrenees for tourism and outdoor activities.
Main industries / business
Pau's economy is diverse, with a strong focus on services, technology, and energy sectors. The city is home to the headquarters of Total Energies' exploration and production division, making it an important centre for the oil and gas industry. Pau also has a growing aerospace industry, with companies like Safran Helicopter Engines located in the area. The city has been developing its digital and tech sectors, with initiatives like the Hélioparc technopole. Tourism and agriculture (particularly wine production in the surrounding areas) also contribute significantly to the local economy.
Sources for city budget
The city of Pau's budget comes from various sources, including local taxes (such as property tax and business tax), state transfers, fees for public services, and subsidies from the European Union for specific projects. The city also benefits from its status as the departmental capital, which brings additional administrative functions and related funding.
Political structure
Pau is governed by a city council (Conseil Municipal) and a mayor (Maire). The city council consists of 43 members elected for a six-year term. The mayor is elected by the city council and is responsible for implementing local policies and managing the city administration. Pau is also the seat of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques departmental council.
Administrative structure
The city of Pau is divided into several neighbourhoods (quartiers), each with its own local council that works on improving the quality of life for residents. The central city administration oversees citywide matters and coordinates with these neighborhood councils. Pau is also the centre of the Communauté d'agglomération Pau Béarn Pyrénées, an intercommunal structure that brings together Pau and its surrounding communes for joint projects and services.
Website
https://www.pau.fr

The Green Belt Pays de Béarn is an open initiative launched in 2019 by the Metropolitan Area of Pau, the Chamber of Agriculture of the Pyrénées Atlantiques and La Ceinture Verte Group. Its aim is to accelerate the transition towards short food circuits throughout the territory. The City Council of Pau Béarn Pyrénées voted in favour of participating in the cooperative.

This ambitious project faces serious challenges as both production and consumption are not currently oriented towards short circuits. Any initiative attempting to address only one side of the problem will fall short. For instance, raising production while demand is weak, or increasing demand while local production cannot keep up would be ineffective.

Objective:
The Green Belt is a non-profit ad-hoc vehicle aimed at tackling challenges in an integrated way. It is open to all participants, including professionals (such as bio experts, representatives from the chamber of agriculture, city officials, agriculture schools, distributors and food processors) and individuals (including investors, workshop facilitators, volunteers, and children’s program coordinators.

The project started in Pau in January 2020 with initial funding of 500.000 € (split between public and private sources). It aims to settle at least 100 farmers on small plots (2 hectares) within 7 years and significantly increase the number of vegetables, fruits, milk and meat produced and consumed through short circuits.

The cooperative

  • provides fully equipped farms for independent producers within the metropolitan area, facilitating the entry of new farmers by helping them avoid heavy investments
  • offers technical assistance and a supportive network to increase productivity in small agricultural holdings (including a network of mentors, tools and best practices)
  • provides access to sales platforms dedicated to wholesale delivery (central kitchen, supermarkets), mid-scale (restaurants) and retail (produce baskets, online solutions, famers markets). Committed to short food circuits, these platforms make intensive use of technology in order to align with our collaborative and sustainability values: electrical vehicles, internet marketplace and distributed production planning,
  • promotes a local brand "La Ceinture Verte Pays de Béarn" with a collaborative approach fostering community engagement: cooking workshops "eat organic and cheaper", events, and collaborative farming activities.
  • invests in activities that could leverage the cultural and economic impact of a local food system

The non-profit co-operative has no fixed costs or requirement to generate revenues and membership fees are reinvested into new farms.

Each farm costs 200.000 € to set up – half of this is subsidised through European Common Agricultural Policy funding, and half is provided through a loan which the farmers pay back over time, with the repayments starting low and scaling up as the farms become established.

New farmers are coming through routes such as the local agricultural college, farmers’ groups, the Chamber of Agriculture, and career services that connect newly qualified people with work opportunities.

Future Focus Areas

  1. Expanding local farming activities: fruits, honey, cereals and bread production, meat and dairy products
  2. Improving technical practices: Implementing new tools (Al, robots, solar production/crop protections). Adopting new work methods (introducing new species, irrigation optimisation, improving planning) 
  3. Enhancing distribution: Developing new sales channels (e.g.: automatic lockers) to capture new customers who usually shop at the supermarket for instance. Reorienting our distribution system towards local products, moving away from global food markets and traditional supermarket models.

 

The cooperative has raised 0.5M€ in capital.

Each farm requires 100,000€ in grants (European CAP) and 100,000€ in bank loans, repaid through farmers' contributions.

The budget is growing as more farms are built, with total assets currently at 2M€.

Key Financial Notes:

  • The cooperative has no fixed costs, making it a low-risk vehicle. The CEO, an employee of the Ceinture Verte Group, invoices the cooperative only when new farms are created
  • The risk of insufficient farm creation to cover CEO wages is shared among several cooperatives, as the CEO often manages activities in multiple regions (e.g., Limoges+Poitiers, Le Havre+Caen+Rouen)
  • The SCIC's budget does not rely on any city grants.

Cooperative Dynamics:

The cooperative structure is a strong asset, generating support in various areas:

Funding:

  • Over 250,000€ of capital raised from citizens
  • Cities provide strong communication channels (e.g., local newspapers) to promote the initiative
  • Easy investment process through a dedicated webpage  
  • Despite low profit expectations, people invest (1,000€ to 50€) due to the project's meaningfulness and a 25% state tax reduction

Technical Support:

  • Partners (agriculture chamber, local farmers) provide peer coaching to Ceinture Verte farmers.
  • Monthly on-farm meetings address issues in plantations, tools, techniques, sales, and morale.

Farmer Recruitment and Training:

  • Candidates sourced from Lycée Agricole, CIVAM, ADEAR, chamber of agriculture, and the "SAS Graines" farming test camp
  • Most candidates are career-switchers requiring initial training (6-month theoretical course for Brevet Professionnel Exploitant Agricole) and at least one year of farm experience

Awareness, Communication, and Sales:

  • Cities actively promote and facilitate access to local markets (outdoor markets, public outlet advertising, collective catering gross market)
  • Citizens promote local purchasing through dedicated associations (e.g., AMAP, offering prepaid weekly baskets).

This structure ensures a comprehensive approach to developing and sustaining the local agricultural ecosystem.

As of December 2023, 8 farms (about 20 FTE) have been established with all farmers achieving economic sustainability- a great achievement and the main goal of the cooperative.

This success is largely due to the involvement of all stakeholders in the cooperative. Suitable land is scarce and without strong support of the chamber of agriculture, unions, banks and municipalities, accessing it and invest in new agricultural infrastructure would be extremely challenging. 

Key achievements: 

  • 8 active farms.
  • 100% of farms providing farmer income above the minimum wage.
  • 200-240 tons of vegetables distributed locally each year.
  • 2M€ of public funds raised (France 2030) to foster innovation in the local food system

 

Access to suitable land with water available has proven challenging and conflict-prone in a very conservative and closed agricultural system, managed solely by the agriculture chamber. Land allocation is mostly based on economic opportunities, largely driven by non-local markets (such as corn production).

The interests of local communities are now increasingly recognised through this cooperative vehicle: Regular discussions between the associates of the SCIC Ceinture Verte Pays de Béarn have led to an updated shared vision for the local food system, including the need to address local food markets.

So far, the farmers have not faced sales difficulties, as they primarily serve the high-end market. Our current challenge is to expand into the mass market production, by increasing the production volumes and reducing the prices to reach lower customer segments. This shift will likely cause the average Ceinture Verte farm size to increase, creating new opportunities for our most successful farmers.

 

Building on the City of Pau’s strong political ambition to re-localise food production, the cooperative scheme has successfully brought together all the required stakeholders, uniting them under a shared goal.

We have demonstrated that we can scale up this system, both locally and nationally. This scalability is a crucial question for initiatives of this kind that often struggle to replicate their model and achieve a significant impact (as a reminder: 20% of local vegetables in Pau will require 80 Ceinture Verte farms).

Pau’s Green Belt initiative was the first, but it is now part of a growing network of 10 cooperatives in France, including in Paris and Rouen, which are overseen by La Ceinture Verte Groupe.

 

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Jakki Mann
Melbourne , Australia

Jakki Mann

Individual | Content Curator

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