Page 66 - Almanacco_ENG_2014

Family FarmingRed caps,green capsFrancein brittany, a rebellion is growing and people are taking to the streets, but just who is behind it?66 almanaCgilles luneauThe people of Brittany have a strong sense of belonging to their land, rath- er than their land belonging to them. Here, the poor soil, the violence of the sea and the fragility of the ecosystems have always demanded considerable efforts in order to organize a stable society. Such natural conditions have generated ways of living in which mu- tual recognition and solidarity have created collective social practices, from dance to revolution. Brittany wasformed not on the basis of an idea of a nation or a political structure based on some kind of higher authority, but be- cause its inhabitants chose to live here and identify themselves with this land. In the early 1960s, Brittany turned to- wards intensive agriculture, with its corollary industrial activities. Not only did the region follow the guidelines im- posed by governments and agricultural unions, it came top of the class. The outcome: pollution and food scares,@ PhIPhI60