Less-favoured agricultural areas in Languedoc-Roussillon (2014)

Less-favoured agricultural areas are territories with specific (economic, agricultural, physical and demographic), natural and permanent handicaps linked to terrain, altitude, slope and soil, in which the maintenance of agricultural activity is necessary for the maintenance of the natural area (see Directive 75/268/EEC). They carry the public policy of support for agriculture (ICHN aid) in its environmental and social functions which make it an important contributor to the sustainable development of the economy.The compensatory allowances for natural handicaps (ICHN) contribute to the maintenance of a viable rural community in less-favoured areas and thus help to balance the occupation of the territory by economic and human activities.The total or partial classification of municipalities in less-favoured areas is determined by orders of the Ministry of Agriculture. It consists of 5 types of less-favoured areas: high mountain, mountain, dry mountain, foothill and simple less-favoured areas.