Knowledge and experiences sharing in the collective support of a cheese PDO
Résumé
This paper presents the support system that was developed by the authors in collaboration with the actors (dairy farmers and processors) of the Fourme de Montbrison PDO cheese. The article illustrates the usefulness of Knowledge and Experiences Sharing (KES) in deconstructing worldviews, and as a central vehicle for elaborated support. We address the difficulty of overcoming ingrained patterns of thinking that hinder collaboration in a collective effort. The description of the support provided reviews the different steps taken to create a common strategy among the actors in order to collectively develop a shared strategy for the future. Finally, the article discusses the perspectives that this process presents in terms of support for agricultural collectives and its theoretical and epistemic implications.