How does a mountain farming activity fit into the metabolism of its territory? This academic study, stemming from the doctoral thesis of Michela Bevione (PACTE and STEEP laboratories, Université Grenoble Alpes / CNRS / Inria), analyses the interactions between flows and stakeholders in the Maurienne valley, in the French Alps, through its main agricultural activity: the production of Beaufort PDO cheese. The appellation, protected since 1968, relies on local alpine cattle breeds, feed mostly produced locally, and traditional cheese-making practices, organised around three cooperatives managed by the producers themselves.
The flow map traces the material flows of the supply chain: forage production and imports, farm inputs, milk production, the making of Beaufort and its co-products (whey, cream), through to marketing. It shows the physical workings of an alpine cheese supply chain, more extensive than the French average, and its dependence on certain inputs from outside the territory.
The material flow analysis follows the AF Filières method: the supply-chain structure was established with the stakeholders, data were collected through interviews and from existing reports, the data were reconciled to ensure consistent mass balances, and the results were represented as Sankey diagrams. The thesis couples this quantitative analysis with monetary flows, an assessment of environmental pressures (greenhouse gases, eutrophication, acidification) and a qualitative analysis of the stakeholders' vulnerabilities and adaptive capabilities.
Doctoral work carried out within the PACTE laboratory (Université Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, Sciences Po Grenoble) and the STEEP team (Inria, Université Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, Grenoble INP). TerriFlux contributed the AF Filières method and hosts the published diagrams.