Quel rôle des collectivités locales dans la territorialisation d’une filière agricole ? Le cas de la production de noisette en Creuse

The Reactors research-action programme supports four local authorities in the design of agricultural projects that promote attractiveness. Using the example of the hazelnut industry in the Est-Creuse region, this article aims to question the role and capacity of local actors to define locally coherent development strategies designed to make their territory more attractive. Thanks to a facilitation system carried out in Est-Creuse with farmers, we show that the strategy supported by the local authority only corresponds to the expectations of a part of them, the others being excluded from the support process set up by the authority. Moreover, by relying solely on an economic justification, this sector project neglects the relationship of ownership of local actors with regard to a new territorial resource. A more integrated approach is needed to consider a territorial project in its dimensions of collective action, spatialization of agricultural practices and in its capacity to evaluate the impact of a project on the quality of life of the inhabitants. Finally, the hierarchical governance of the project and the difficulty for agents to integrate systemic approaches do not facilitate the construction of coherent agricultural projects with regard to territorial specificities and current development issues.