Objectives and study areas
Researchers at CEDETE, CITERES, GéHCO, the Institut Français de Pondichéry, the Indian universities of Madras and Pondichéry, as well as dedicated organisations (Resolis, IEHCA, Inpact, Dhan Foundation, etc.), have identified a two-speed food supply:
- one that is respectful of the environment and producers, made up of quality foodstuffs from local and short circuits, aimed at an affluent public;
- The other is made up of products of poorer quality, often processed, coming from far away, produced in disastrous environmental conditions and aimed at people who are not very well off, or even destitute.
The aim is to combat this system in the name of food democracy, justice and fairness.
The second observation is based on the need for operational research-action aimed at identifying initiatives offering quality products to underprivileged populations, with a view to involving the regions concerned (Pays des Châteaux, PETR Centre-Cher and Gâtinais-Montargois, Orléans conurbation, Indian sectors of Pondicherry, Maduraï and Jadawhi Hills).
Study areas in Tamil Nadu
Study areas in the Centre-Val de Loire region
RESOLIS, which supports local food projects and encourages them to capitalise on grassroots initiatives, will play a key role in identifying and disseminating the dynamics of transition.
The third lies in the blind spots in research on food injustice and equity, with little scientific work on food democracy awaiting operational spin-offs. This more conceptual task aims, on the basis of the work carried out, in synergy with existing networks and on the basis of the Franco-Indian results of PATAMIL, to set out both an epistemological clarification of the terms used and, more importantly, to identify concrete avenues for remediation.
The fourth shared observation centres on the benefits of comparing views and experiences with more distant fields such as Tamil Nadu, where innovation is no longer the sole preserve of Northern countries, both in terms of food policies and the strategies of local players to build quality, fair-trade channels. What’s more, as Tamil Nadu is one of the 5 priority regions for the Centre Region’s decentralised cooperation policy, these exchanges will be nurtured by long and fruitful interrelationships.
The aim is also to involve young people from the two regions (students from all the universities, pupils from the Lycée français de Pondichéry, the Lycée en Forêt de Montargis, the Lycée agricole de Bourges and the Lycées hôteliers of the two countries) in multicultural solidarity exchanges focusing on food and gastronomic heritage and food equity. These young people are part and parcel of PATAMIL.
Dissemination of results
The region's decentralised cooperation department, present in India via Lucie Devineau, a Volunteer for Progress, who is closely involved in the development and management of the PATAMIL project.
The CENTRAIDER multi-stakeholder regional network, which brings together more than 900 partners involved in international solidarity and development aid.
In India, the NGO A.S.I.E., the Dhan Foundation, the French Institute and the University of Pondicherry, the University of Madras and the University of Pondicherry, along with its many local partners (INDP, etc.).
The IEHCA, the RTR Alimentation network, the RESOLIS network and other regional food players and networks, including the Chaponnière food ecopole, aim to show how strategies to combat food injustice are models that could be of interest to both regions.
Finally, with CentreSciences and IEHCA, the aim is to disseminate the results of PATAMIL to the general public and to break down the barriers between scientific research and everyday life.