When formal and informal networks promote agroecology: a case study of Martinique Island

Martinique, a French island and overseas department, faces many environmental challenges including a humid tropical climate prone to the development of pests, the decline of its agricultural sector and a deterioration of its environment. Despite these constraints, Martinique has to meet both national and European environmental requirements. In order to understand the main drivers of agroecological transition on the island, our study considers the role of both formal and informal networks in addition to individual and structural characteristics of farms. Based on a representative database of Martinican farms, our study highlights two main results. First, the individual characteristics of farmers influence their productive practices, while the structural characteristics of their farms have no impact. For farmer-owners, a farm has a value in terms of transmission translating into a desire to protect soil quality and hence to implement agroecological principles. Second, networks play an important role in the implementation of more environmentally-friendly practices. In Martinique, the main drivers are informal networks as Martinican farmers observe at the neighbourhood level both positive and negative impacts of the implementation of alternative practices.