March 8: Ludivine Verlaguet, her fight for young farmers

Ludivine Verlaguet, présidente des Jeunes agriculteurs. MIDI LIBRE – Archives Yannick Pons

Elle a été l'un des visages des manifestations de janvier-février.

Third woman to hold the position of president within the Young Farmers of Gard union, Ludivine Verlaguet perfectly illustrates the feminization of the faces of the agricultural world, both in the fields (for her, the vineyards) and in representative bodies.

"There have always been women in agriculture, but perhaps not as farm managers, recognizes the young woman, who took over with his brother the family wine estate Commanderie de Cotelier in Saint-Gilles. For us, it seemed very natural to take it up together. With Thibaud, we are very complementary. Farms require more and more time, involvement…"

At the head of the JA du Gard for three years, Ludivine Verlaguet was one of the faces of the demonstrations at the end of January, on the A9 motorway. His fight ? Ensuring that young farmers can make a living from their profession. "We're talking about transmission difficulties, operating costs. But as long as we don't have more decent incomes, we will still have just as much difficulty having young people." This winter's movement will undoubtedly have been founding for a generation, which it embodies: "We saw a lot of young people that we didn't necessarily see. Beyond the union fight, we saw an agricultural and unifying movement across all sectors."