Villeneuve-Loubet has always been a fertile land - thanks mainly to the Loup - and favourable to agriculture. For more than two centuries this territory has been cultivated and market gardeners and horticulturists have always been part of the scenery. The Municipality supports them, and in 2021 it marked its commitment to sustainable development with the classification of several plots of land as Protected Agricultural Zones.
In Roman times, when the Mediterranean was primarily a place for trade, wealth came from the olive tree and the vine. 2500 years ago, the first quail trees (the most widespread species of olive trees in our region) were planted; today we still use the same harvesting and pressing techniques to extract the olive oil. On our territory, nearly 250 communal olive trees have been listed. Every autumn, workshops to collect the "caillette" are organised with school children and volunteers.
In the Middle Ages, agriculture - already not very intensive because of the hot and dry climate - was mainly dedicated to the production of cereals. Maize was cultivated for a long time until the Second World War, used for animal feed and for polenta flour. In order to improve their income, at the end of the 16th century the villeneuvois specialised in silkworm breeding for the industry in Lyon. This particularity can be seen on the town's coat of arms registered in 1696.
Already well present in the region in the 20th century, tobacco growing developed and at its peak there were nearly 200,000 plants growing in the commune, a quantity that was highly regulated with a control system. With the emergence of the perfume industry in Grasse, the culture was oriented towards the production of flowers to be distilled: Villeneuve-Loubet specialised in peppermint, geranium, rose of May and orange blossom.
After the Second World War and the rise of urbanisation, it was necessary to supply the towns with fruit and vegetables: many orchards were created and land planted with beans, cabbages, turnips, onions, chard... In the 1960s, carrots made some families rich and we even celebrated the election of Miss Carrot. Horticulture developed in the districts of the seaside, before the rise of the cities one could see there large exploitations under greenhouse (tulips, carnations, anemones, roses).
Nowadays, the commune has succeeded in preserving its land, giving young local producers the opportunity to continue farming: in the neighbourhoods of Les Plans and Grand Pré, you can enjoy seasonal organic market gardening (La Ferme des Grenouilles and Jardin du Sapeton - see food shops) and local flower production (roses, lilies of the valley, citrus fruits).
