Abeille is the name of a community currency

Local currency

In economics, a local currency, in its common usage, is a currency not backed by a national government , and intended to trade only in a small area. As a tool of fiscal localism, local moneys can raise awareness of the state of the local economy, especially among those who may be unfamiliar or...

 started in 2010 in Villeneuve-sur-Lot

Villeneuve-sur-Lot

Villeneuve-sur-Lot is a town and commune in the Lot-et-Garonne department in south-western France. The commune was formerly named Villeneuve-d'Agen....

, France

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

. It is named after the French word for bee

Bee

Bees are flying insects closely related to wasps and ants, and are known for their role in pollination and for producing honey and beeswax. Bees are a monophyletic lineage within the superfamily Apoidea, presently classified by the unranked taxon name Anthophila...

. The Abeille program is intended to promote local commerce. The Abeille operates with a fixed exchange rate: 1 Abeille = 1.

Creation and objectives

An initiative of a local NGO, "Agir pour le vivant" (Act for the living), the Abeille is intended to:

1. Promotion of sustainability: organic food and renewable energy among others
2. Strengthening the solidarity: enhancing the human relationship between local shoppers and businesses
3. Stimulation of local economy.

Currency issue, exchange and acceptance

Bills of 1, 2, 5, and 10 Abeille are issued. They feature drawings from the painter Jean-Claude Maurel on the obverse, and a photograph of a bee on a flower by the photographer Christian Aymé on the reverse.

To maintain an individual bill's validity, a "scrip

Scrip

Scrip is an American term for any substitute for currency which is not legal tender and is often a form of credit. Scrips were created as company payment of employees and also as a means of payment in times where regular money is unavailable, such as remote coal towns, military bases, ships on long...

" corresponding to 2% of the banknote value must be paid every six months. (This system, called demurrage

Demurrage (currency)

Demurrage is a cost associated with owning or holding currency over a given period of time. It is sometimes referred to as a carrying cost of money. For commodity money such as gold, demurrage is in practice nothing more than the cost of storing and securing the gold...

, is a form of currency circulation tax and was invented by Silvio Gesell

Silvio Gesell

Silvio Gesell was a German merchant, theoretical economist, social activist, anarchist and founder of Freiwirtschaft.-Life:...

.)