Farminf and technology: what is the future for rural life ?

Daniel Carlier is a cereal farmer in the Champagne-Berry region. For the past four years, he and nine other farmers have practised crop rotation over an area of three thousand hectares. In addition to organising the distribution of land, material and human resources, this group has decided to practise extremely high-tech farming which is environmentally friendly. Very highly developed automation as well as in-depth knowledge of each plot of land create a milieu for producing the highest yield at the lowest cost. This new economic model will help farmers to cope with the probable reduction in agricultural subsidies, and allow them to remain competitive in world markets. But what impact will the development of this working method have on rural life and on town and country planning ? Philippe Perrier-Cornet examines such an organisation in the widest context of life in rural areas. He believes that there is also a place for other forms of production which are more in keeping with local identities and products.