Territorial agriculture and rural development: From agricultural support to territorial policies

Over the years, agricultural policies in OECD countries have evolved to reduce the number of farms and farmers ("structural adjustment"). A good indicator of the impacts produced by these policies is the structure of farm transformation. Now countries are moving toward a dual structure of farms and farmers, while maintaining the agricultural support level. In many countries, two principal types of agriculture became common: "territorial" agriculture and "commercial" agriculture. Although territorial agriculture does not have to disappear, it is necessary to make policy changes. In order to avoid the underdevelopment of rural areas, different types of agriculture call for differentiated policies. Not only does "territorial" agriculture contribute to sustainable rural development, it is important in many rural areas. Nevertheless, new instruments of agricultural and rural policies will benecessary.