You are planning or have completed vine removal
Review available resources and the decisions ahead for the future of the plots.
Transitions & diversification
Shape what comes next, including beyond winegrowing.
Vine removal, diversification, changing practices or new uses for land: we connect the possibilities of the site, business viability and the people who keep the estate running.
Your situation
Start with the reality of your project.
Removing vines changes more than the planted area. It may affect equipment use, working arrangements, income and the role of land within the estate. Our support begins with asking the right questions before choosing a direction. We examine options with you according to the site, your objectives and the information available. Agronomic, regulatory or technical studies that prove necessary are scoped with qualified specialists for the activities under consideration.
You are considering diversification
Assess new activities or crops against the means available and potential routes to market.
You are changing practices
Include the pace of change, the team and biodiversity considerations in the discussion.
The scope
What we work on together.
Explore scenarios
Identify relevant possibilities: diversification, changes to existing activities or alternative land uses. Distinguish ideas needing further work from options with enough information to assess.
Consider viability
Connect investment requirements, organisation, timing and potential markets. Make assumptions explicit so that scenarios can be compared and useful additional studies identified.
Plan a transition for people
Consider skills, everyday work and the role of teams. Connect environmental ambitions with conditions on the ground and the specialist input required.
Building a future beyond the vines
Compare the possibilities before committing resources.
Start with the resources of the site
After vine removal, assessment involves more than choosing another crop. We organise information about the parcels: previous uses, available analyses, topography, access, soil condition and known constraints. Water availability, authorised uses and the potential requirements of proposed activities must be examined with the relevant specialists. Available land alone does not establish that a project is feasible.
The inventory also covers buildings, equipment, storage, market access and the team’s skills. Some assets may be reused, others adapted or left without a purpose. Existing commitments, costs that continue after vineyard activity stops and available time are included. This foundation helps avoid building a scenario around a resource assumed to be available.
Explore beyond the vineyard
Depending on the context, options may include other agricultural production, diversified crops, cooperation with a neighbouring farmer or a complementary activity using existing buildings and skills. Visitor activities and processing may also be worth considering where they fit the location and project. This list opens a discussion: it is neither an agronomic recommendation nor a conclusion about the permissions required.
Every option needs a market. Who might buy, with what requirements, at what time and through which logistics arrangements? We distinguish expressed interest, a commercial assumption and a formal commitment. Discussions with industry participants can guide further studies, but do not replace analysis of costs, risks and the time needed before the first revenue.
Build comparable scenarios
A useful comparison sets out investment, operating expenses, labour requirements, prospective revenue and cash outflow timing for each scenario. Assumptions are identified: an actual quotation or an estimate, a market explored or documented, a skill already available or still to acquire. We also consider gradual change and postponing certain commitments rather than presenting a single project as the obvious answer.
A limited trial can provide learning before scaling up: scope, budget, expected observations and the decision to continue are defined in advance. The timetable connects preparation, any required procedures, experimentation and review. The consequences of delay or insufficient results are discussed. Potential finance and support are not treated as secured until their actual status has been checked.
Make room for people and biodiversity
Transition changes work as well as land. We discuss tasks, skills to develop, seasonality, working arrangements and each person’s place in the project. The people involved need to understand the stages and raise difficulties. The action plan specifies who decides, who implements and when choices will be reviewed.
For biodiversity, an intention is not a result. A baseline, appropriate observations and a repeatable protocol help examine changes with the necessary ecological expertise. The area of a habitat feature describes an action; it does not prove an ecological gain on its own. Indicators depend on the site and its issues, as explained in the French Biodiversity Agency’s guidance on ecosystem monitoring.
Prepare a useful starting file
- Parcel maps, land-use history and existing analyses.
- Available information about water, access and site constraints.
- An inventory of equipment, buildings and ongoing commitments.
- Team organisation, skills and identified training needs.
- Initial market contacts, quotations and economic assumptions to verify.
Swipe the table horizontally to see all columns.
| Topic | Observation and source | Review point |
|---|---|---|
| Budget | Committed and remaining expenditure compared with the scenario. Sources: quotations, orders and invoices. | At each commitment stage |
| Work | Tasks completed, observed time and difficulties reported by the team. | During key periods |
| Market | Documented buyer feedback and requested terms, distinguished from orders. | Before increasing the scale |
| Biodiversity | Observations of habitats or monitored groups using a protocol defined with a specialist. | At comparable times specified by the protocol |
Your questions about transition
Do you support projects beyond winegrowing?
Yes. A project may involve diversification or a change of activity. The studies required are defined around the proposed production and uses, with the appropriate specialists.
Does transition necessarily mean going organic?
No. Organic farming is one option to consider for the project. Commitment, conversion, inspections and certification follow a specific framework to check with the competent organisations. Our support does not issue certification. See INAO’s guidance on organic farming controls (French).
What is Polycultura’s role?
Polycultura supports the implementation of Jean-Martin Fortier’s method, small-scale organic market gardening and estate diversification. Its work connects work organisation, biodiversity and economic viability according to project needs. Being part of the Second Circle does not mean that a service is automatically included.
Our approach
Three steps, shaped around your project.
Understand & define
Clarify site constraints, objectives and decisions already under way.
Build the plan
Compare scenarios and identify the expertise and studies needed.
Act & review
Support the agreed stages and adapt the pace as the project develops.
Complementary expertise
A team suited to your project.
The collective combines vineyard knowledge, management and commercial development. Within the Deuxième Cercle, Polycultura brings expertise in Jean-Martin Fortier’s method, organic market gardening and farm diversification, with attention to people and biodiversity. Its scope is defined according to identified needs. Other specialists can be considered where a proposed activity calls for expertise outside the core team.
Let’s talk
Where are you with your project?
Tell us about your situation, what you wish to change and the decisions ahead. An initial discussion helps clarify the next steps.