April 2012 - From June 2011 to March 2013 David Ward-Perkins supervised a study relating to tourism and agriculture in the southern French Alps, on behalf of SKEMA Business School.

The study took place in the upper Var valley, on the fringes of the Mercantour National Park. The purpose of the study, requested by the Communauté de Communes Cians-Var and funded by the Fondation Crédit Agricole, was to understand how new forms and models of sustainable tourism can best interlink with traditional rural activities, in particular with niche agriculture.

The study involved in-depth interviews with the 28 remaining farmers of the valley and with the micro-businesses that serve outdoor and cultural tourism.