フランス条件不利地域における山地農家の経営戦略

―マッシフ・サントラル，メザン地域を事例に―

抄録

 Less favored areas are the main focus of the common agricultural policy (CAP) of the EU. However, there is insufficient research on the economic strategies of farmers in mountainous regions of France. The objective of this study is to understand the management strategies of mountain farmers in mountainous regions of Mézenc in Massif Central of France.
 The results can be summarized as follows. First, each farmer is classified into five types: dairy farmer, beef cattle farmer, mixed bovid farmer, mixed sheep farmer, and other farmers. Their farm product market has two characteristics. One type of farm trades with large companies such as Danone or Soddial, and the other type trades with local organizations or associations in Haute-Loire. Second, value-added farm products are an important component for farmers in Mézenc when formulating their economic strategies. This region is covered by two types of geographical denomination of the Appellations d'Origine Contrôlée (AOC). Efforts to ensure value-additions to farm produce are important for farmers in Mézenc. However, some farmers with large farms, such as farms belonging to mixed bovid farmers, are dependent not on value-additions but on expansion of their livestock and farmlands.
 An important issue for these farmers when formulating their management strategies is the subsidies they receive under agricultural policies. The policies alter the agricultural structure of Mézenc and the economic strategies of mountain farmers. Farming techniques of less favored areas in France are regulated by the natural, social, and economic conditions of this mountain region.