The prefect of Alpes-Maritimes announced, in a press release, four territorial food projects (PAT) selected in the department as part of the Recovery Plan, for an amount of €250,000.
The territorial food projects (PAT), created six years ago, promote the relocation of agriculture and food production within territories by supporting the establishment of farmers, short supply chains, or local products in school cafeterias. PATs play an essential role in accelerating agricultural and food transition by bringing together producers, processors, distributors, local governments, and consumers.
The France Relance plan amplifies this dynamic by dedicating unprecedented resources: nearly 80 million euros to support both existing projects (€77M) and emerging projects (€3M, in addition to the National Food Program credits). This is more than 20 times the cumulative volume of subsidies to PATs over the last four years.
What are the four projects concerning Alpes-Maritimes?
As a sign of the strong interest from territorial stakeholders in the initiative, the call for projects launched in December 2020 for the development of new PATs generated significant enthusiasm: 65 applications have just been selected following the review of the first round of submissions. These new projects involve territories in 48 departments.
In the PACA region, six projects have been selected, four of which concern Alpes-Maritimes for an amount of €250,000. They are:
• PAT of the Alpes-Maritimes Departmental Council, which aims to promote the establishment of farmers in organic farming or with High Environmental Value certification, develop the “06 à table” platform in connection with collective catering, and combat food waste, especially in middle schools and nursing homes.
• PAT of the Pays de Grasse: this emerging PAT aims to establish the necessary governance to support projects that seek to enhance access to agricultural land, identify logistical or processing tools needed to add value to agricultural products, promote quality sectors, circular economy, and accessibility to healthy and sustainable food for all.
• The “solidarity” component of the Châteauneuf de Grasse PAT: with its experience in supplying the school canteen with 100% organic and local products without additional cost to parents, the commune wishes to develop the social aspect of this territorial approach by enabling access to high-quality local food for all.
• The PAT of Saint Vallier de Thiey: in line with a sustainable development policy pursued for over 10 years, the PAT of this commune aims to establish farmers to increase local production, improve the collective catering offer (30% local production in supply, 100% valuation of meal leftovers, introduction of a second vegetarian meal), and create a sustainable development center (a place for market gardening, reception, and awareness raising).
A dozen other projects are under review in the territory and are expected to receive financial support soon. This will eventually cover the entire territory of Alpes-Maritimes with a PAT.
