Exploitants, salariés, riverains, même combat ?: La dénonciation des effets des pesticides sur la santé, entre coalition et division

Coalitions and Divisions of Activists Denouncing Pesticide Health Effects in France For the past fifteen years, the denunciation of the effects of pesticides on human health has been the issue of numerous social mobilizations in France, carried out by agricultural workers organizations, local residents groups and environmental associations. Based on a qualitative investigation, this article analyses the relationships between these actors and the social conditions that influence those relations. Through two case studies, one in an apple production area and one in a wine production area, we show that that the denunciation of pesticides is based on the existence of “blue-green coalitions” whose existence is fragile, and for which the question of the responsibilities of farm owners towards their farmworkers' health and safety constitutes a point of contention. More generally, we point out that the issue of the working conditions for employees in agriculture tends to be marginalized in the mobilizations against pesticides.