About the French department of Deux Sevres

Deux-Sèvres means "two Sèvres”; the Sèvre Nantaise and the Sèvre Niortaise rivers have their sources in the department. It was one of the 83 original départements created during the French Revolution in March 1790.  The Deux Sevres is a peaceful rural department enjoying a mild climate all year around famous for the “Marais Poitevin’ known as the ‘Green Venice ’ with it’s unique broads and waterways.  The département is rural with three-quarters of the area consisting of arable land. Wheat and oats are the main products grown, as well as potatoes, apples, and walnuts. Niort is the center for growing vegetables and angelica. Some beetroot is grown in the district of Melle. Vineyards are numerous in the north and there are some in the south as well.

The département is also well known for the breeding of cattle, mules, and horses. The Parthenais breed of cattle is named after the town of Parthenay in the north of the département. And dairy products are produced in significant quantities (butter in Échiré and goats' cheese).

The département has two railway stations on the TGV route between Paris and La Rochelle (Niort and Saint-Maixent), with a journey from Niort to Paris taking 2h15. It is also served by several TER Nouvelle-Aquitaine regional railway routes, including a route from Poitiers via Niort to La Rochelle, a route from Niort to Saintes, and a route from Tours to Thouars and Bressuire.

There are no airports with scheduled airline service within the département, although Niort-Souche Airport is used for private flights. The nearest commercial airports are at Poitiers (Poitiers - Biard Airport), La Rochelle (La Rochelle - Île de Ré Airport) and Nantes (Nantes Atlantique Airport).

More detailed information on wikipedia.