Aubron, Claire

GI production systems are localized food approaches based on terroir, i.e. the specific conjunction of human knowledge and cultures, techniques and their local natural environment. The specific link between the product and its terroir is detailed in a book of specifications for each GI, which specify the product's characteristics and the agricultural and processing practices authorized to qualify for the label. These collective rules are subject to permanent reassessment and co-evolution, influenced by the modes of collective action adopted by geographical indications through their Management Bodies (ODG), as well as by the regulatory mechanisms at national and European levels.
Picodon is a goat's cheese from the southern part of France, recognized as a denomination of origin since 1983. In 2017, after several years of debate, the book of specifications has been changed, seeking to “strengthen the link to the terroir”, notably by modifying livestock feeding practices. In parallel, climate change affects the appellation area by abnormal periods of drought and/or humidity, and adds constraints to these collective rules on practices and further restrict access to resources, particularly forage.
In this work, we propose to study how this desire to “strengthen the link to the terroir” has translated into collective rules, by studying in particular the knowledge shared by the various stakeholder groups and their respective roles in the governance of this common. We then investigate how these collective rules promote or exclude certain practices used by farmers as strategies for adapting to climate change, and how they fit or not into a collective learning process towards greater resilience.