Nord Pas de Calais
The region is represented by the Nord Pas de Calais regional council, chaired by a President and a general assembly made up of 113 directly elected members.
The regional council is in charge of spatial planning, economic development, transport, and education.
Agriculture, in association with food industry, is a main economic activity in the Nord Pas de Calais region. Competitive agriculture represents 2/3 of the region.
The Nord Pas de Calais is full of large, green open spaces, and agriculture covers most of non urbanised areas : more than 50% of the farms are located in periurban areas.
Natural spaces are also protected thanks to three regional parks (Avesnois, Caps and Marais d’Opale and Scarpe Escaut).
The Nord Pas de Calais includes 16 000 farms, representing 30 000 agricultural workers. Food regional industries thus take advantage of agricultural goods locally produced.
The Nord Pas de Calais is the biggest French regional producer of potatoes, endives, chicory, peas, Chrysanthemums and dried beans.
As far as agriculture is concerned, the region undertakes challenges to modernise small farms, to support young farmers, to promote agricultural diversity and innovation while respecting the environment, and developing food industries.
The Nord Pas de Calais regional council thus wants to help farmers coping with advantages and disadvantages of the periurban location. There are indeed many problems: problems related to land property, neighbours, and urban pollution which is important in the region. Yet the citizens, being local consumers, represent a real potential of economic development.
Developing periurban agriculture also allows to maintain and to promote a sustainable agriculture and to reinforce links between citizens and the agricultural world.
The Nord Pas de Calais regional council is part of the PURPLE network for many reasons.
At a local level, working on periurban agriculture issues demonstrates the interest of protecting agriculture in theses areas and of supporting financially periurban projects.
On a european scale, lobbying within PURPLE will show the EU the importance of leading periurban agricultural projects and developing exchanges and european projects on this issue.
General data:
| Country: |
France |
| Total area: |
1.200.000 |
| Population: |
4.000.000 |
| Density: |
325 hab/km2 |
| Agriculture land use: |
69 % |
| Arable land: |
61 % |
| Main economic activities: |
|
| Main agricultural products: |
Cereal; Milk; Vegetables and Potatoes |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Last updated: 31 Mar 2008