The context
The growth of urbanisation, in France and around the world, questions the future capacity of cities of food supply. Urban and peri-urban agriculture is gradually developing as a response, involving new jobs, a reorganisation of rural and urban planning and a new management of resources such as water or land. Local authorities are increasingly looking for experts who are familiar with the technical, operational and logistical specificities of these new agricultural practices. A growing number of farmers are beginning to take an interest in the reintroduction of agricultural projects in cities. It is in this context that France's first Professional Degree in Urban and Peri-Urban Agriculture (Licence Professionnelle agriculture urbaines et périurbaines) was set up.
The project
The Licence Pro Métiers de l'Aménagement du Territoire et de l'Urbanisme - Parcours Agricultures Urbaines et Périurbaines (Professional Degree in Urban and Suburban Planning and Development - Urban and Suburban Agriculture), which has been available since the start of the 2019 academic year and is attached to the Institute of Geography and Regional Planning at the University of Nantes (IGARUN), is the first course of its kind in France.
This professional degree, which is a sandwich course, allows students to obtain a technician or category B status in the civil service and to enter the professional world immediately.
It provides knowledge and skills in :
- Urban and peri-urban eco-agrosystems, plant and animal production techniques (beekeeping, aquaculture, poultry farming, eco-purification, etc.), production methods (permaculture, bio, biodynamics, etc.) ;
- Urban and peri-urban agriculture (AUP): its challenges and actors ;
- Urban planning, architecture, landscape, geography to design an AUP project ;
- Finance, sociology and economics to design and manage your project ;
- Project management (preliminary diagnosis, management, operational stages) ;
- Marketing and processing systems for AUP products and services ;
- Communication, group work, IT tools ;
- Regulations, legislation and policies on AUPs.
The professional outlets are varied:
- Types of jobs: Specialised technician, company manager or farmer in AUP, project manager, adviser, project or study leader, experimenter, trainer, etc ;
- Types of structures: Local authorities, associations, trade unions, agricultural cooperatives, private structures in regional planning (design offices, town planning or architectural firms, etc.), companies in the agricultural sector (production, processing, marketing), training establishments, etc.
Practical information
Professional degree (Bac+3).
One year of work-study courses leading to 60 ECTS credits, comprising 412 hours, 18 weeks at university and 34 weeks in a company.
Course website: https://igarun.univ-nantes.fr/les-formations/licence-professionnelle/
Promotion: 15 apprentices
Location of the training course: Nantes
The conditions of the work-study programme must be followed: finding an apprenticeship or professionalization contract of at least 6 months on the dates requested by the University and the completion of a defense and an apprenticeship thesis at the end of the course.
The training course entitles the student to the benefits of an apprenticeship: remuneration and professional training, housing assistance and activity bonus (in addition to salary), E. Pass Jeunes offered by the Loire Region, Apprentice Social Fund offered by the Loire Region.
This initiative sheet was written by Pénélope Bresch, LFC volunteer - October 2020.
Last modification : 14 Dec 2020.