C. Bernard

Drawing on a multidisciplinary survey carried out in three contrasting areas of the Rhône‐Alpes Region in France, this article investigates how the concept of multifunctionality has been understood and appropriated. After a retrospective look at French agricultural policy, the first part presents our analytical framework, which is inspired by the sociology of action. The second part analyses the socio‐political issues of farming in each area and the compromises established around the various functions attributed to agriculture. The third part highlights the different ways of considering and practising farming, as well as the social expectations towards agriculture. This regional comparison shows that professional identities are constructed at local levels in different places: the farms and their neighbourhood, local groups and agricultural organisations. Local agreements on agriculture and the construction of professional identities take into account multifunctionality in specific ways, which depend on the social and economic relationships that the farmers have established with their fellow citizens.