The systeme agraire concept in francophone peasant studies

Among the many concepts used in farming systems research, the agrarian system-systeme agraire - stands out in the works of francophone agronomists, agricultural economists and geographers. It is an all-encompassing concept, capable of making sense of agricultural activities at a regional scale in a way that accounts for both ecological and socio-economic dimensions. The objective of this article is to trace the evolution of this original concept, reflect on the difficulties inherent to its use, and examine its relevance to agricultural research. After exploring its origins and development within the French school of Comparative Agriculture, the author analyzes its components in terms of constituting sub-systems. Next, the challenges associated with the agrarian system approach are addressed, particularly in terms of boundaries and scales of analysis. Part four discusses the similarities and differences between this approach and others, more commonly used by non-francophones. The article concludes with a discussion of the usefulness of the approach in terms of identifying obstacles to agricultural development. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.