Empty countryside

[RobertArthur]

The French countryside has never been so empty of people as it is now. La campagne se vide, already from the early industrial revolution, the growth of cities.
In line with the French Revolutionary Spirit, la lutte continue. This time against les déserts médicaux and the loss of many other essential services.

From the website of < La France Agricole> this summary:
The French countryside continues to lose inhabitants. The demographic report published by INSEE on 28 December 2023 shows that rural areas independent of urban centres lost almost six thousand inhabitants between 2015 and 2021. The 4.397 million people who still live there represent 6.5% of France's total population...

From the French Bureau of Statistics:
In 2019, INSEE counted 400,000 farmers and 250,000 farm workers in France, representing just over 2% of the working population, compared with 1.6 million and 310,000 respectively in 1982. This decline in the proportion of the French working population employed in agriculture is even more marked when observed since 1945, when their number was estimated at 10 million. No other economic sector has seen such a massive decline in employment. This is directly linked to mechanisation and the use of synthetic fertilisers in agriculture, which has led to a significant increase in productivity and a concentration of land within a few large farms.

These things crossed my mind when visiting a VG in a nearby village, no commerce anymore, several empty buildings and not very attractive: more than two years after a building fire the old Hotel Perdrix is still in ruins.

On the other hand: the local community started seven years ago what has become a tradition now: a concert of the Amsterdam Bach Ensemble in the nice romanesque style local church. On tour here in Burgundy with concerts, also in the Vézelay Abbey. Together with many other activities the community does its best, but will it be enough? Wishing and hoping,

[Polarengineer]

This August it has been crowded with tourists, not so empty. Today while painting the entrance gate, there seemed to be a car/ camper/caravan going by every minute, compared to a normal day of 8-10 cars a day.

[L Austin France]

Our arable & lifestock farming neighbour lost his long standing assistant a few years ago when he went to easier pastures new with 'sensible' working hours .
I've lost count of the number of folk who have replaced him & not lasted very long. Neighbour has all but given up hope of finding a good replacement so is forced to curtail his activities.
His teenage son has no interest in the farm so it seems like this will be yet another farm that dies with it's current owner.

[Hotrodder]

A very high percentage of the vehicles passing by our hovel are tractors, then probably passenger cars and lorries not far behind. The cars we hardly notice unless they have loud boom boom boom music playing. The lorries we get used to. The tractors continue until late in the night this time of year and regularly knock down poles or snag the wires they carry. Happily it all eases off a bit on Sundays. Who'd be a farmer out of choice? Sure, they get subsidies, etc. but its always a gamble not knowing if the coming weather will favour the crop you decide to plant. As an industry I believe farmers suffer a very high level of suicides.

[Blaze]

Farming can be tough, particularly for livestock owners. Children see their parents struggle and who can blame them for not wanting to take on the business.
I've often wondered if some farmers here are sometimes ill-advised : they take out big loans to buy new, bigger equipment, expand their business etc then struggle with repayments after a bad year, illness ..... Certainly this is what comes across when watching local news items.

Some farmers round here don't actually live on a farm as such. They live in an "ordinary" house, but have plots of land all over the place and hangars to store machinery. With the size and speed of such machinery, preparing, planting and harvesting is done incredibly rapidly. I've often wondered what they do with the rest of their time !!

[niemeyjt]

Contract work, I suspect - for people who don't want to farm. Big and expensive kit needs to earn its keep

[exile]

Our village population more than doubles during the holiday period; but that is no measure of long term sustainability of the commune. Friends, family and second home owners are always welcome (especially since the Parisians who refused to integrate in any way have sold up.). They do not however contribute for more than 6-10 weeks a year.

Thankfully our permanent population has augmented a bit over the years. The geography of the land - small parcels of land separated by steep drops - means local farmers have not been seduced into the money trap. Not that that makes their lives less stressful - especially since most keep stock as part of the mixed farming ethos that exists because of these small parcels of land.

The commune has encouraged artisanal businesses by setting up a small area for commercial development and we now have for example an expanding wood yard and a carpenter/ joiner running successfully. OK only employing family members so far but at the least it keeps younger members in the commune. A few escapees from Covid have also established residence but without - so far - fibre connections that is somewhat limited.

Services are however scant with an épicerie with a La Poste office and a bar tabac that offers restaurant food by reservation. Everything else is an 11km drop down to the nearest small town or a 45km trip to the Rhone valley.

[tagh]

As the old generation retires and the young decide to go elsewhere so the farms get bigger and one hopes both more efficient and capable to provide better lives and incomes to those remaining.
There was nothing beautiful or even humane about the lives of so called peasant farmers who subsisted, based often on a couple and perhaps their kids doing all the work. Of course the result is that the countryside is emptier and services are reduced. In the end the services will have to be peripatetic with, say, dentists calling once every X months, same with other medical services etc. I seem to remember that there is already a large online consultancy service which is easily accessed.

If you ever have the chance watch Le Champ Dolent, a French TV miniseries about a farming family over several generations. Accurate and quite moving.

[Blaze]

There was nothing beautiful or even humane about the lives of so called peasant farmers who subsisted, based often on a couple and perhaps their kids doing all the work.

The wives of farmers weren't entitled to any sort of pension until 1972 so if their husbands carked it, they were in trouble. Farmers' wives were expected to being up the children, help out on the farm, make sure hubby and any workers were well-fed. They weren't paid, had nothing to declare or pay into a caisse ....