SAFER PACA

What SAFER PACA does

SAFER PACA (Société d'Aménagement Foncier et d'Établissement Rural Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur) is a French société anonyme operating without profit motive, founded in 1962 and headquartered in Manosque, that manages agricultural, natural, and forest land transactions across the six departments of the PACA region (Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, Hautes-Alpes, Alpes-Maritimes, Bouches-du-Rhône, Var, Vaucluse). Under the Code Rural, it holds statutory preemption rights on rural land sales, processes approximately 15,000 DIA (Declaration of Intent to Alienate) notifications per year, and operates through a network of 40+ departmental field advisors, six departmental offices, and oversight by Technical Committees and Government Commissioners. In 2023 the organisation executed 1,193 acquisitions (€129M, 5,345 ha) and 1,308 retrocession acts (€136M, 5,866 ha), with 36% of operations dedicated to farm restructuring and new-farmer installation.

The organisation runs a suite of cartographic and land-market tools — VIGIFONCIER (a real-time DIA notification portal for local authorities), GéoMarchés (territorial land-price mapping), GéoDIL Expert (DIA comparison research for land experts), Open Friche Map (crowdsourced mapping of abandoned agricultural land), and the IPPEnaf agricultural-land-pressure indicator co-developed with DREAL PACA and CEREMA. A jointly controlled subsidiary, SCIC Terre Adonis (founded 2018 with Coopération Agricole Sud and Région Sud), provides land-banking financing for farmer installation, and the 2024 renewal of a nine-year partnership with the Conservatoire du Littoral formalises protection of over 46,000 coastal hectares.

SAFER PACA derives approximately 90% of its resources from service fees on substitutions and retrocessions (3–4% on transactions above €1M, up to 12% below €15,000), with supplementary revenue from notary DIA processing, local-authority studies, and a new €75 HT parcel-surveillance subscription. It reaches stakeholders through direct advisory relationships, public "calls for candidates," public websites and digital portals, social media, the Terr'Agora territorial consultation series, and its 2022–2028 PPAS strategic framework — operating as a regulated public-interest intermediary whose activity is anchored by statute rather than by competitive market dynamics.

Name

SAFER PACA

Legal name

SAFER Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur

Website

https://safer-paca.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1962

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

SAFER PACA is a French non-profit land-development company (founded 1962) that manages agricultural, natural, and forest land transactions across the six PACA departments, exercising statutory preemption rights and serving farmers, notaries, local authorities, and environmental bodies via a network of departmental advisors and cartographic platforms.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

NAICS

Nonresidential Property Managers (531312), Lessors of Real Estate (5311), Support Activities for Animal Production (11521)

SIC

Real Estate Dealers (For Their Own Account) (6532), Real Estate Operators (No Developers) & Lessors (6510), Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro primary industry

Transitional/Development Land Brokerage (Entitled, In-Path-of-Growth) (BPAJADAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Land Administration & Cadastral Services (Public Land Records, Parcel Management) (BPAIANAH), Land Brokerage (Raw Land & Development Sites) (FSAEAJAD)

Keywords

• Agricultural land management
• Farmland transactions
• Land acquisition services
• Rural property regulation
• Territorial development

Headquarters

HQ city

Manosque

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Service Fees from Substitutions and Retrocessions: Approximately 90% of resources come from service fees charged during substitution or retrocession operations. Fees are calculated as a percentage of transaction value: up to 12% for operations under €15,000, and 3-4% for amounts exceeding €1 million.
2. Fees from Notaries and Collectivities: Additional revenue streams from professional services provided to notaries (DIA processing) and local authorities (studies, convention management).
3. Parcel Surveillance Service: Fixed-fee service for monitoring parcels: €75 HT per request, valid for 3 years, limited to 20 parcels maximum per applicant per department.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

SAFER PACA manages farmland transactions and regulates the rural and peri-urban land market across the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region through legal preemption rights, substitution procedures, and direct acquisition and retrocession of agricultural properties. The organization supports farmer installation and farm consolidation, conducts land market studies, and provides cartographic tools (VIGIFONCIER, GéoMarchés) to local authorities and notaries. It also facilitates land banking and rural development through partnerships with regional authorities and conservation bodies.

Product overview

SAFER PACA operates as a land development company (Société d'Aménagement Foncier et d'Etablissement Rural) serving as the primary land transaction operator for agricultural, natural, and forest spaces in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. The company offers a portfolio of interconnected services centered on land acquisition, substitution procedures, and preemptive rights to regulate the rural and peri-urban land market. Key offerings include VIGIFONCIER (cartographic portal for local authorities), GéoMarchés (geographic land price mapping), GéoDIL Expert (land expert cartographic tool), and the Surveillance de parcelles service for monitoring land transactions. The subsidiary Terre Adonis (SCIC) provides innovative land holding financing for farmer installation and consolidation. The company also conducts land market studies using its regional database combining DIA notifications with field intelligence.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• 1,193 land acquisitions totaling 5,345 ha for €129 million in 2023
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

20 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Città Metropolitana di TorinominorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2025Lead partner in ASFO project (Interreg Alcotra France-Italia) on management of abandoned lands for agro-sylvo-pastoral resilience. Project budget €1,989,681.59 with €1,591,745.28 from FEDER.
• UNCEM PiemonteminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2025Partner in ASFO Interreg project for management of abandoned lands in cross-border Alpine region.
• UNITO - Università di TorinominorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2025Academic partner in ASFO project, contributing agricultural and forestry sciences expertise for abandoned land management strategies.
• COFOR - Association des Communes Forestières PACAminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2025Regional forestry union partner in ASFO project for management of abandoned agro-sylvo-pastoral lands.
• CNPF - Centre National de la Propriété ForestièreminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2025National forestry property center partner in ASFO project for forest land management in cross-border Alpine territories.
• Conservatoire du LittoralcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 June 2024Partnership renewed on June 17, 2024 for 9 years to protect coastal and lakeside territories. Cooperation since 2017 identifies and protects strategic spaces, understands local land dynamics, and supports farmer installation on Conservatoire sites. Over 46,000 hectares protected by Conservatoire in PACA, with nearly 6,000 ha farmed by about 100 partner farmers, 40% in organic agriculture.
• Chambre d'agriculture du VarcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Partner with Préfecture du Var and SAFER PACA in Plan de Reconquête Agricole du Var, aiming to reconquer 10,000 ha by 2030. European FEADER funding of €254,987.87 supporting operational implementation.
• Parc naturel régional des AlpillesminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Partner in protecting and mobilizing agricultural land around pilot sites. Collaboration with Chambres d'agriculture 13, SAFER PACA, Terre de Liens PACA, ADEAR 13, and CASA 13. European FEADER funding of €186,553.54.
• Terre de Liens PACAminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Partner in Alpilles project for dynamization of agricultural land and recovery of abandoned plots (friches) alongside PNR Alpilles and other organizations.
• ADEAR 13minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Partner in Alpilles project for abandoned land recovery and agricultural land dynamization.
• Chambre d'agriculture des Alpes-MaritimescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Member of GIE Terres & Territoires (Economic Interest Group) alongside Chambres d'agriculture of Var and Vaucluse, created in 2008. Conducts territorial development studies and diagnostics for local authorities.
• Terr'AménagementminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Association in Hautes-Alpes department, initiated by the Chambre d'agriculture and SAFER PACA, similar structure to GIE Terres & Territoires for agricultural land studies.
• Coopération Agricole SudcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Co-founder of SCIC Terre Adonis alongside SAFER PACA and Région Sud. SCIC enables public and private financiers to contribute to agricultural land acquisition financing, with the cooperative owning land and renting to farmers.
• CEN PACA (Conservatoire des Espaces Naturels)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2014Since LAAAF law of 2014, CEN and regional hunters' federation have seats on SAFER Board of Directors. Collaboration on Atlas of agricultural practices favorable to biodiversity and joint management of Crau nature reserve.
• Fédération Régionale des Chasseurs PACAminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2014Since LAAAF 2014, integrated into SAFER Board of Directors alongside CEN. Represents hunter federation interests in land use decisions.
• DREAL PACAcoreOthers · 1 January 2014Collaborates on IPPEnaf (Agricultural Land Pressure Indicator) and provides regulatory oversight for environmental preemption cases.
• CEREMAminorOthers · 1 January 2014Technical partner in development of IPPEnaf indicator for agricultural land pressure analysis.
• Chambre d'agriculture du VarcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2008Co-founder of GIE Terres & Territoires with Vaucluse and Alpes-Maritimes chambers. Collaborates on land studies and agricultural territorial diagnostics.
• Chambre d'agriculture du VauclusecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2008Co-founder of GIE Terres & Territoires with Var and Alpes-Maritimes chambers. Conducts studies and territorial diagnostics for collective clients.
• Région Sud Provence-Alpes-Côte d'AzurcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2006Unique convention in France (since June 2006) allowing SAFER to exercise price regulation role without financial risk in case of litigation. Region covers the gap between revised price and judicially set price when seller goes to court. Also provides general support for agricultural land price control policy.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• SAFER Nouvelle-Aquitaine: A leading regional SAFER by transaction volume, with the identical set of products (VIGIFONCIER, GéoMarchés, retrofit land banking). It demonstrates how SAFER capabilities scale in larger agricultural regions.
• Établissement Public Foncier PACA: Public agency that acquires and manages urban and peri-urban land for local authorities in the same PACA region. Shares the land-banking mandate and partner relationships with municipalities and EPCI, though focused on non-agricultural land.
• SAFER Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes: Another regional SAFER with the same statutory mandate under Code Rural, comparable headcount, and the same land-advisor network model; the AURA territory overlaps with PACA through Alpine departments.
• SAFER Occitanie: Peer regional SAFER operating across the Occitanie region with the identical preemption, substitution, and retrocession toolkit; serves as the closest functional twin of SAFER PACA at comparable scale and mission.

Emerging players

• Terre de Liens: National association mobilizing private citizens to acquire farmland for organic and peasant agriculture. It is a complementary land-banking actor referenced by SAFER PACA in Alpilles projects and shares the same farmland-access mission for new farmers.

Others

• Chambres d'Agriculture PACA: Public chambers of agriculture representing farmers across the region. Co-founders of GIE Terres & Territoires with SAFER PACA and direct operational partners on territorial diagnostics, farmer installation, and land transmission.
• Conservatoire du Littoral: National public agency that purchases coastal and lakeside land for environmental protection and partners formally with SAFER PACA (renewed through 2033) to identify strategic land and install farmers on Conservatoire sites.
• CEN PACA (Conservatoire d'Espaces Naturels): Regional environmental land steward with a seat on SAFER PACA's Board of Directors since the 2014 LAAAF law. Partners on biodiversity-positive agricultural practice mapping and joint reserve management (e.g., Crau).
• Crédit Agricole Alpes Provence / Provence Côte d'Azur: Core banking partner since 2016 providing preferential financing for SAFER's land acquisitions and the young-farmer leasing scheme, with the rate extended to cooperatives via Coop de France.

Broad incumbents

• Fédération Nationale des SAFER (FNSAFER): The national federation of all 26 regional SAFERs in France. It is the direct umbrella and policy body of which SAFER PACA is a regional member, sharing the same Code Rural mandate, DIA mechanisms, and preemption rights at the national level.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights8 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/saferpaca
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/safer-paca
• Instagraminstagram.com/safer_paca

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about SAFER PACA