Major workshop for rural mayors on ecological transition, an initiative of the Association of Rural Mayors of France
The Grand Workshop of Rural Mayors for Ecological Transition is an initiative bringing together 100 mayors to set a course and define a roadmap for rural elected officials facing this major challenge in their villages. Indeed, rural areas represent 88% of the national territory , a third of the population, and hold the essential natural commons necessary for a healthy ecological balance.
Faced with the climate emergency , the objective is to strengthen the position and role of rural municipalities , without which the coming transitions cannot take place. The Grand Workshop will meet over four working weekends, designed and facilitated by Res publica , during the first half of 2023.
This initiative is organized at the instigation of the Association of Rural Mayors of France, in particular Fanny Lacroix, Mayor of Châtel-en-Triève (Isère) and Vice-President of the association in charge of ecological transition . In this interview, she presents the AMRF , the Grand workshop for ecological transition, and what she expects from it.
Participants in the Grand Workshop of Rural Mayors for Ecological Transition
Res publica: What is the Association of Rural Mayors of France?
Fanny Lacroix : This is an association of elected officials from municipalities with fewer than 3,500 inhabitants . The challenges in rural areas are very different, which is why the elected officials wanted to create this association, which addresses the diverse issues specific to the rural world . Today, it brings together approximately 10,000 mayors . The AMRF is a national association, associated with local associations in each department. The departmental associations work together to address the challenges facing rural areas. There are truly strong links between the local, departmental, and national levels.
Res publica: What is the Grand Workshop of Rural Mayors for the Ecological Transition?
FL : As Vice-President of the AMRF (Association of Rural Mayors of France) in charge of ecological transition, I wanted to create a commission to work on the challenges of this transition . The first question we asked ourselves with the commission members was , " What new contribution can the AMRF make to the field of ecological transition?" , given that many networks of stakeholders already exist. We realized that what could be useful, and what is currently lacking, is the development of a political vision for the ecological transition , as seen by rural municipalities. Indeed, a rural mayor is often supported by a town clerk and a multi-skilled technical officer, and therefore doesn't necessarily have the time to develop this political vision. Thus, we wanted to help mayors make this effort and develop this voice, which, in our opinion, is sorely lacking in the national narrative . To achieve this, we devised a method robust enough to reflect the diversity of rural areas, and it was within this framework that we created the Grand Workshop for Rural Mayors for the Ecological Transition.
The idea was to recruit 100 mayors from across the country , working with departmental associations. We want to bring them into dialogue with leading climate and environmental experts and have them discover all the local innovations being implemented in small towns and villages. Indeed, these communities are already doing a great deal, using diverse methods and approaches, and we believe it is essential to recognize and celebrate these initiatives . Through this convergence of scientific expertise and the practical experience of rural mayors , we hope to develop a roadmap for the AMRF (Association of Rural Mayors of France), enabling us to accelerate the ecological transition in rural areas and better support public policies.
Introductory round table
Res publica: What results do you expect from these debates? How do you intend to use them?
First, to highlight existing initiatives: we have some very compelling stories of ecological transition at the rural community level, which are quite impactful because they are "small territories," not in terms of size, but in terms of population. We therefore have very engaging and inclusive narratives , built with citizens, that manage to bring everyone along in this cultural transition we need to undertake. I believe that France, including its large cities, has much to learn from the ability of a rural community to involve its citizens .
The second point is to succeed in getting more communities to follow these positive narratives . I often use the image of locomotives; we already know some of the leading rural communities that are very committed and have accomplished a great deal. The idea is to be able to hitch many new initiatives to these existing ones and try to create momentum and accelerate the concrete implementation of the ecological transition .
Finally, the last objective is to build a fairly unified – despite the diversity of situations that characterize rural municipalities – for which the AMRF could act as spokesperson during the mandate that has just begun .
Discussions will continue until July , and the results will be shared and presented at the AMRF congress in September .
Irene ROSSETTI, Marie CASANELLES and Frédéric FIATTE
