An example of the Departmental Federation of CIVAM in the Hérault

This federation groups together four CIVAMs:

• The CIVAM Bio 34: created 20 years ago, it includes 75 members and aims to promote the development of organic farming in the department of the Hérault through training, assisting and accompanying farmers.
  - Racines 34: its objective is to organize and train a network of farmers who contribute to environmental education: receiving groups of children on farms
  - CIVAM Bassin de Thau: the aim of this association is to work in favour of and promote the role of women who work in maritime-related professions in the Thau lagoon
  - Garrigues de Thau (Thau Scrubland): This association’s aim is to harmonise and provide quality tourist activities around the area of the scrubland of Thau. It brings together people from various sectors: farmers, restaurant owners, artists…
• The FDCIVAM 34 ensures the role of coordinating, running and supporting CIVAM actions in the department.
  It also works on other projects dealing with contractual partnerships between producers and processors through the CROC project: Communicating Observing Networking Skills.
  This project’s aim is to create and maintain employment opportunities and activities linked to agriculture on a departmental level of the Hérault by promoting a stronger network of local food distribution. It is designed for people changing professions and/or farmers in difficulty.

This project assembles researchers, associations and support organizations in development in order to:

• reinforce skills and networks of the targeted population and their companions.
• support the development of collective organisations which have a potential for integrating, facilitating production, transforming and marketing of local quality food products, as a niche employment sector. It also aims to maintain activities of farm holdings in difficulty.
  Moreover, this project contains a transnational cooperation branch with Portugal, Italy and Slovakia, which aims to exchange experiences of creating and diversifying activities related to the food industry.