Pluri-activity as a way of life and work, is reappearing after a century on the sidelines in western societies. In rural areas, where pluri-activity is structurally inherent, the resource of accompaniment - in its role of mediating and fostering mutual exchange and growth between the public realm (as defined by a region's institutions, policies and norms) and the proponents of a project - brings into sharp relief the tensions and ambiguities in public policy. The nature of the public realm (as currently constituted) where proponents of a small enterprise enter decision making spaces, effectively excludes those whose work is structured in ways different to models of work recognised and promoted by regional development policies. A better comprehension of the multiple components of a pluri-active project and of the conditions it requires to function, allows an appropriate adaptation of accompaniment. The nature of pluri-active projects and their accompaniment were observed during a training held in Haut Languedoc in 2008. Over nine months fourteen proponents of projects met together with a group of researchers and mentors of varying outlooks. They united around the endeavour to collectively evolve and construct the form the accompaniment took. The precarious nature of all the projects posed challenging questions for the mentors as did the projects not fitting into the classic business model. The experience showed that the open and flexible framing of the accompaniment permitted the projects to develop and establish themselves through the integration both of the uncertainties linked to the projects' precarious starting off points, and also of their non economic aspects. Pluri-activity strongly questions the dominant model of work and its values. The experience also showed these projects to be out of line with the vision of economic activity held by the region of Haut Languedoc, and that to put in place spaces that recognise pluri-activity is difficult. To accompany pluri-activity requires more than adapting how the supporting resources function : it is a political project, which implies rethinking first of all the place of the proponents and allowing to emerge the potential innovations contained in the particular 'starting -up' strategies that systems of economic activities falling outside the classic models will discover and employ.
Pluri-activity and accompaniement in rural areas: an experience helded in Haut-Languedoc (Hérault, France)