Le concept d'agro-alimentaire : intérêt et limites

This paper discusses the usefulness of the concept of agribusiness for economic research on food industry. In the mid-fifties in the USA, and in the mid-sixties in France, the concept of agribusiness was introduced to cope with problems relating to the evolution of agriculture. This concept turned out to be relevant to research on three different problems : insertion of agriculture in highly industrialized economies, industrialization of food, and development of capitalist relations of production in agriculture. To carry out the analysis of the accumulation of capital in industry, the concept of agribusiness seems to provide a good framework, especially explaining the specific characteristics of this sector (dominating agriculture, constraints on food prices). Actually, the use of the concept raises more theorical questions than answers.