More than five million people in France rely on food aid, according to Charles Fournier, rapporteur of the Food Security Social Security (SSA) bill. The number of people using food banks has grown from 1.8 million to 2.4 million between 2018 and 2024. The SSA, a collective formed in late 2019 and supported by nine organizations, has expanded to include thirty national structures and has conducted forty experiments across the country. One experiment in Montpellier provided participants with the equivalent of 100 euros per month in local currency to spend in conventional stores. A 2025 evaluation found that the share of participants experiencing food insecurity dropped from 11 to 5 percent, although researchers noted that high prices in some stores could be seen as a form of symbolic violence against the most vulnerable. The number of farmers in France has declined significantly over the decades, from 1.5 million in 1977 to 370,000 today. Jean-Claude Balbot, a farmer from the Civam Network, remarked, "I no longer have a neighbor... The guy next door has disappeared." The Confédération paysanne, a farmers’ organization, has criticized the government's agricultural policy. In 2015, Stéphane Le Foll, the Minister of Agriculture, stated that "We need a sufficiently industrialized production to be economically accessible." This comment was interpreted by the Confédération paysanne as an admission of powerlessness in addressing the challenges facing small-scale farming. Organic farming, short supply chains, and AMAP (short for Association pour le Maintien de l'Agriculture Paysanne) have served as alternatives to industrial agriculture for forty years. However, these models remain accessible only to those who can afford them. In 2012, the Civam Network asked whether a mode of production can be called sustainable if it does not feed everyone. The market has largely ruled in favor of industrial agriculture, as the 2018 evaluation of the Ministry of Agriculture’s agro-ecological policy concluded it had failed due to a lack of viable economic outlets for sustainable farming practices. According to Mathieu Dalmais, co-founder of the SSA collective, 30 to 40 percent of the population is economically excluded from a quality diet, while 63 percent of farmers consider the agro-ecological transition necessary. However, most cannot produce according to their convictions due to economic constraints. The SSA proposes a model where everyone would receive a food allowance without condition of resources, with citizens’ bodies deciding on the products and eligible places. This model aims to shift decision-making power from the market to the eaters. The SSA initiative has faced political and financial challenges. In October 2024, ecological deputies submitted a proposal for a law experiment, providing for testing the SSA for five years in about twenty territories with local funds managed by food parliaments. The commission on economic affairs adopted the proposal on February 12, 2025, but the discussion lasted only twenty-five minutes before stopping at midnight. Charles Fournier denounced the obstruction by right-wing deputies, while the minister considered the proposal financially unsustainable. Amendments by right-wing deputies had labeled the SSA a costly utopia. Boris Tavernier, an ecological deputy from Rhône and co-founder of the Vrac network, sees the SSA as "the most exciting in decades" of social projects. However, dependence on elected officials has weakened initiatives, with the Terre Solidaire Foundation noting that several funds have been stopped, notably in the context of municipal elections. The foundation advocates for a national framework guaranteeing sustainable funding. On October 3, 2026, a conference at the Paris Labor Exchange brought together researchers, experimenters, and decision-makers to discuss the SSA. Mathieu Dalmais opened the day, followed by Boris Tavernier presenting the framework of the experimental law. A round table animated by Alternatives Économiques included Adam Poupard, Benjamin Coriat, and Marie Massart. The afternoon featured discussions with Lila Djellali, Aymeric Caron, and Richard Ramos, as well as representatives from the food chain unions. The philosopher of law Somhack Limphakdy closed the day on common goods. As the presidential election approaches, the SSA enters political programs. Mathieu Dalmais is wary, noting that "no one frees anyone," referencing the 1946 Social Security managed by workers themselves. Jean-Claude Balbot warned political leaders that "a society without farmers is a society without resistance capacity," emphasizing the need to involve farmers in the SSA initiative to keep promises made.