The Agri-Food Heritage ecosystem in Ardèche, France: value creation and territorial governance in Chestnut production

Purpose The Gunma Declaration advocates the Heritage Ecosystems approach to integrate economic, social and environmental pillars. This paper examines the robustness of this framework by reinterpreting terroir products as Agri-Food Heritage Ecosystems. Specifically, it elucidates how public–private collaboration integrates landscapes and heritage to drive value creation in rural areas. Design/methodology/approach Employing a qualitative case study combining a literature review and field surveys in Ardèche, France, this study analyzes public-private collaboration through stakeholder interviews. Specifically, it investigates the regional shift back to chestnut production and its strategic linkage with former silk mill heritage. Findings The region successfully reconstructed its core identity around chestnut production following sericulture’s decline. Former silk mills function as “third places” and hubs connecting tourists with local products. The synergy between chestnut landscape restoration, traditional food culture, and silk heritage generates local vitality. Social implications By utilizing local resources related to traditional food culture to foster interaction among local residents and between residents and tourists, this approach promotes the region’s self-sustaining and resilient development. Consequently, the Agri-food Heritage Ecosystem approach serves as an alternative, replicable model for rural revitalization. Originality/value This paper applies the Heritage Ecosystems framework to terroir products, offering a novel perspective. The Ardèche case demonstrates practical methods for stakeholder empowerment and economic revitalization through the synergy of agriculture and silk heritage. Based on this, the paper proposes a territorial governance framework for value creation through Heritage Ecosystems and sustainable community development.