Lavender – a rural economy

As early as the Greek and Roman civilisations lavender was already recognised for its modern day properties. During the middle ages, considered a medicinal plant with its precious essentiel oils, lavender played a role in the fight against the plague.

With the XXth century came the new « Blue Gold ! ». The growth of the perfume industry in Grasse led to an increased demand for aromatic plants. The picking and gathering of lavender became more organised and widespread. By the mid XXth century the mechanisation and improved yields of the plants resulted in increased lavender production. Many families’ main income now came from lavender farming.

The end of the XXth century marks a turning point. With the industry under tension, the amount of lavender farmers diminished along with the land surfaces cultivated. The landscape evolved. With the 21st century came new prospects, the ‘Wellness industry’ that has helped to maintain the lavender farms and improve the quality of their produce (source – GTA)

Lavender farming covers more than 4 000 ha and produces 84 tons of essentiel oil every year (source CIHEF – data 2016), 19 tons of which are ‘Huile essentielle de lavande de Haute-Provence’ or ‘Essence de lavande de Haute-Provence’. The geographical area of the AOC ‘Huile essentielle de lavande de Haute-Provence’ concerns four departments (counties) – Alpes de Haute Provence, Hautes Alpes, Drôme and Vaucluse. French lavender is under increasing competition by countries with low labour costs such as Bulgaria (leading world producer) and China. It is also confronted with diseases and insects which have destroyed many hectares of plants. (source – Ministry of Agriculture.)

Meet the lavender producers around Sault