AGRILOCAL : Facilitate local food supply in catering facilities

Context

For twenty years, the policy of the department of Puy de Dôme has been to move towards the promotion of short value chains and organic and local products. For this, online tools have been designed using automatic geolocalisation techniques to help farmers by facilitating their access to the collective catering market.

The association AGRILOCAL seeks to strengthen the links between local farmers and the collective catering facilities in cities, and valorize the concept of short value chains, and this, at national level. AGRILOCAL works directly with the departments that are the primary actors in the development of the local economy and territorial solidarities.

Project

This association offers a free public service for catering organizations and suppliers. Its purpose is to promote short value chains, the development of local agriculture, but it also aims to strengthen the local economy thanks to the collective catering facilities and restaurants. To this end, it has set up a platform for internal networking that respects the public procurement code, encouraging exchange between buyers, collective catering managers and suppliers of agricultural products.

It is a dematerialized, legally secure, easy-to-use tool for farmers to access public markets. Local authorities in charge of school canteens also have more facilities to buy directly from local and organic farms.

Implementation

Thanks to an original automatic geolocalisation feature, the online tool Agrilocal sets up a direct link between public buyers (middle schools, high schools, retirement homes, primary schools, municipalities, etc.). and suppliers from the same area. This software can also be adapted to specific requirements.

Results

In 2018, the main results were:

• 1,993 buyers including 875 middle schools, 396 municipalities, 179 high schools, 205 retirement homes
• 3,474 local producers referenced
• 14 million euro turnover
• 3,500 tonnes of local food products marketed 

Project leaders

AGRILOCAL was created in July 2013 by the founding members who are the Department of Drôme and the Department of Puy-de-Dôme. In January 2019, the association included 47 member departments. Other key stakeholders of the project are: departmental advisers, the middle school that develops the tool, the chambers of agriculture and crafts. En Janvier 2019, l'association rassemble 35 départements adhérents. In each department, a facilitator provides support to both local authorities and buyers individually or collectively.

The Little Extra

The Agrilocal service is free for suppliers and buyers.

Its use requires a simple registration, for the buyer as for the producer. With Agrilocal, suppliers and buyers are geo-referenced in a comprehensive database, to enable local sourcing, whether organic or not. 
By joining the Agrilocal association, departments offer their users access to a free service.

Cost for a Department:

Contribution scale 2018: fixed price of € 8,000 + variable price of € 0.01 / inhabitant within the limit of € 25,000.

Booklet, Agrilocal : https://www.agrilocal.fr/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Loutil-agrilocal_Livret.pdf

Written by Solène Bgt, LFC volunteer - January 2019.

Last modification : 31 Mar 2020.