GREENING AGRICULTURE? FARM MACHINERY, INNOVATION AND THE ENVIRONMENT AT THE FRENCH INTERNATIONAL TRADE FAIR FOR FARM MACHINERY

Abstract

This article examines how the French agricultural machinery sector, dominated by a few large manufacturers, has promoted a more environmentally conscious form of agriculture which reconciles sustainability with mainstream industrial practices. Using an approach that combines economic sociology with science and technology studies, an ethnographic study was conducted in 2019 at the French trade fair, the Salon international du machinisme agricole (SIMA). The research explores  the role of fairs as places of industrial cooperation, where brands stage and promote their technological innovations as a political and environmental promise. Although the environmental impact of agriculture is presented as a crucial issue by the organizers of the fair, a more nuanced perspective emerges from an analysis of the spatial organization of the event and the strategies adopted by firms to incite attendees to visit their stands. Beyond what is said o.icially, the financing and the operational work carried out during the fair are focused on promoting innovations to di.erent types of visitors such as farmers, extension services, opinion leaders and employees of competing companies or partners. The fair is thus analyzed as a professional event dedicated to building a common culture around farm machinery that is shared by the entire sector. In this culture, environmental issues are not ignored but they are less prominent than the promotion of technical and digital innovations.