“Agriculture must be given back its place and its rank”, wrote Alphonse Karr, a French author from the XIXth century. However, because the theme of agriculture was not at the heart of debates on which focused the French literature at this time, his words were not heard.
Agriculture in French, Spanish and Italian literature
In these three countries occurs a proliferation of books centered on the European rural world. Yet their approaches are totally different, they deal with their own national framework or beyond.
In Italy, the most notorious e-books are those mentioning self-sufficiency, providing leads and clues on how to practice an agriculture respectful to the environment.
Meanwhile in France, the latest novels published on the theme revealed harmful practices imposed by the food industry. The objective is to destroy prejudices on the agricultural world in order to change the methods and do justice to farmers.
As for contemporary Spanish literature, it is marked by a certain nostalgia for an old rural world, less industrialized, respecting nature.
In both cases, some objectives meet with artworks: many paintings on the agricultural world depict the consequences of the changes instigated by Europe, globalization and the industry , and how to solve current problems.
Farmers: a changing job
First, the administration is increasingly complex for farmers: legislation considered against farmers, problems related to pesticides, stereotypes about the rural world and many other issues related to society and the climate crisis. These problems are more or less interconnected. The administrative process for farmers to recognize pesticide-related diseases is long and arduous. Some of these problems are relatively international, such as those related to the climate crisis, others are inherent to some countries. But in general, in the artworks, an observation has been made: the rural world is undergoing profound changes and, in a way, rurality is dying.
These changes driven by various organizations have a mixed record. They aggravate certain problems, such as the heavy administrative formalities of the Common Aid Policy of the European Union. Even if this aid remains necessary, it must be reformed.
In their works, authors prefer either to show their lives or that of their relatives if they have a link with the agricultural world or perceive them in a romantic setting. Many dare to suggest some ways to develop an agriculture that adapts to the climate crisis , without sacrificing farmers and their families.
One must emphasize the importance of the rural world, as literature tries to do, to show support for the many challenges farmers have to face, so that it can adapt to the global climate crisis.
By Lucie Petit
To go further on our April file dedicated to agriculture, you can read our Society and International Relations sections’ articles on our blog.
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