agreste

Agreste cahiers n° 4 - décembre 2000

Since 1994 there has been a general increase in agricultural investment.

Since 1994 there has been a general increase in agricultural investment. It has however been much more moderate in départements with specialised crops than in those with livestock breeding. On average, over the 1990-99 period, farmers invested 1,800 francs per hectare of utilised agricultural area. In the départements of specialised cropping, because of planting costs which are added to other investments, this amount is often higher. It is on average 25 % higher than the national average, and even rising to 88 % in vine-growing regions. The départements of intensive breeding in the West, because of purchases of animals for breeding and the weight of breeding buildings, also invest more than the average : 16 % more. On the other hand, the départements of field cropping and especially those of extensive breeding in the Massif Central show a lower level of per-hectare investment (14 and 27 % below the national average respectively). This investment is drawn from entrepreneurial incomes, which also show wide variations. Although it rises to 35 % at the national level, the average rate of investment is limited to 20 % in those départements devoted to specialised crops, with high added values, whereas it is over 40 % in those devoted to breeding, be it intensive or extensive.