From farm, landscape and territory analysis to scenario exercise: an educational programme on participatory integrated analysis

Tools and methodologies have been developed to enable integrated analysis (IA) of complex issues like agro‐ecosystems and natural resources management. They are based on interdisciplinary and often on participatory approaches combining, interpreting and communicating knowledge from diverse scientific disciplines and from stakeholders. In this paper we present the original educational programme built to enable students in agronomy to implement participatory IA methods in order to deal with sustainability issues in rural territory. In this educational programme students take a professional project management situation on a given case study. One of the originality of the course programme lies in its twofold objectives: building student capacities for carrying out integrated multi‐scale analysis of complex systems and providing researchers with an operational research device which facilitates the integrated analysis of new study territories. The educational programme articulates trips in the case study region and formation modules on project management, farming systems sustainability assessment, landscape multifunctionality analysis, stakeholder analysis and interviews, territorial diagnosis and narrative scenario construction. The main objectives and methods used in these modules are presented and discussed in the light of the outcomes of the implementation of this educational programme. Discussion is focused on the main educational and research issues of this programme

Genomes of all known members of a Plasmodium subgenus reveal paths to virulent human malaria

Plasmodium falciparum, the most virulent agent of human malaria, shares a recent common ancestor with the gorilla parasite Plasmodium praefalciparum. Little is known about the other gorilla- and chimpanzee-infecting species in the same (Laverania) subgenus as P. falciparum, but none of them are capable of establishing repeated infection and transmission in humans. To elucidate underlying mechanisms and the evolutionary history of this subgenus, we have generated multiple genomes from all known Laverania species. The completeness of our dataset allows us to conclude that interspecific gene transfers, as well as convergent evolution, were important in the evolution of these species. Striking copy number and structural variations were observed within gene families and one, stevor, shows a host-specific sequence pattern. The complete genome sequence of the closest ancestor of P. falciparum enables us to estimate the timing of the beginning of speciation to be 40,000–60,000 years ago followed by a population bottleneck around 4,000–6,000 years ago. Our data allow us also to search in detail for the features of P. falciparum that made it the only member of the Laverania able to infect and spread in humans

Utilisation de plantes virtuelles pour évaluer l'effet des modes de conduite. 1 - Comparaison Solaxe - Conduite Centrifuge

International audienc

Appraisal of adaptation strategies to reduce vulnerability to climate change of maize farming systems : farmers’ viewpoint

PrésentationInternational audienc

The concept of centrifugal training in apple aimed at optimizing the relationship between growth and fruiting

International audienceManipulation of vegetative growth-fruiting relationships to ensure high quality fruits and regular cropping is the objective of all apple production systems. For several decades, the use of intensive orchards has been proposed to improve yield, notably early cropping, and profitability. The example of developments towards the Solaxe system in France shows that training concepts have evolved from a two-step vision to a more integrated vision of fruit tree management. In the former case, the aim is to establish a solid framework leading to non-bearing years and then, maintenance pruning is done to ensure cropping. In the latter case, tree structure is de-emphasized and greater importance is given to the control of fruiting as part of training procedures. Based on deeper knowledge of tree biology and genetic variation, the main objective is to orient overall tree vigor towards fruiting laterals for improving fruit quality and return bloom, rather than to influence vegetative vigor by means of dwarfing rootstocks or pruning. On the bearing tree, crop regulation is achieved by artificial extinction or, in short form, extinction, i.e. the complete and definitive removal of fruiting laterals (spurs and brindles), with chemical- and handthinning of remaining fruit buds if necessary. We recommend extinction more specifically in the center of the tree and on the underside of branches, first, to remove potentially poor-quality fruits and second, to improve light distribution within the tree. This training procedure favoring the peripheral layer of the tree canopy is known as centrifugal training (conduite centrifuge) and is now included in the LITE planting system. For 3 years, experiments have been carried out to assess the effects of these training concepts on fruit quality attributes and regular cropping. Results showed that centrifugal training increased fruit size and uniformity. Return bloom was also significantly enhanced with a tendency to increase lateral fruiting autonomy (bourse over bourse phenomenon

A systematic review of methods for assessing the performance of conservation agriculture and its ability to cope with climate change in temperate zones

International audienceCropping systems in temperate zones are suffering from climate change, which is expected to cause even more damage in the future. Beyond the changes in mean conditions of temperature and rainfall, the increased intensity and frequency of extreme weather events (e.g. droughts, heat waves, heavy rainfall or windy episodes) are expected to increase. Historical intensive farming practices, including deep inversion tillage and monoculture, are known to increase vulnerability of cropping systems to such climate hazards, for example by increasing soil erosion or hydric stress. Conservation Agriculture (CA), based on three crop management principles (minimum mechanical soil disturbance, soil cover, and crop diversification), has received strong attention as an alternative for addressing the negative impacts of climate change on cropping systems. The effects of CA on the performance of cropping systems have been discussed in an increasing number of studies and some meta-analysis has evaluated its potential on crop productivity or soil protection. But no recent synthesis provides a description of the research activity on CA’s ability to cope with climate hazards.This systematic literature review (SLR) aims to gather studies assessing the effectiveness of CA in the face of climate change in temperate zones and synthesize information related to a diversity of contexts (type of soil, geographic location), study design, set of practices, and evaluated performance.Our SLR approach was guided by Cochrane and Prisma protocols. We first conducted a bibliographic search in the Web of Science to retrieve peer-reviewed English articles on the topic. After screening their titles and abstracts, we excluded off-topic papers and selected the ones that meet five eligibility criteria: (i) study has been conducted in a temperate zone; (ii) it involved one of the nine crops of interest (maize, wheat, barley, sorghum, sunflower, soybean, canola, triticale, pea); (iii) it included at least one CA practice; (iv) it was performed at the plot or farm scale, and (v) it assessed the effectiveness of CA to limit the negative impacts of climate change on cropping systems. A final subset of 163 articles was analyzed and we present here a synthesis of the information we extracted.Preliminary results showed that most of the selected studies rely on experimental data collected at the plot level over short periods of time (< 5 years) in past and current climatic conditions. Model-based approaches in future conditions are still scarce. With regards to the choice of CA practices to be evaluated, few studies combined simultaneously the three principles of CA. A very large number of studies have evaluated the effects of tillage reduction, often in combination with increased organic soil cover, while very few studies have tested crop sequences with at least three crops. In terms of performance, we found a broad range of indicators. However, most studies focused on crop productivity and/or soil physical performance. Yet, few studies used an integrated assessment of the farming systems including social and economic attributes such as income, work time, or farmer satisfaction.Thanks to this synthesis of methods, contexts, and indicators used to assess CA performance in the face of climate change, we were able to identify advances and gaps, as well as new priorities for CA research. The SLR revealed a need for both (i) a system approach to better understand the combined effects of the three different CA practices and their dynamics over time, and (ii) an integrated assessment of CA multi-performance. An interdisciplinary approach could help to address these two points, and would provide more comprehensive information for agricultural advising and public policies

Vulnerability of Maize Farming Systems to Climate Change: Farmers’ Opinions Differ about the Relevance of Adaptation Strategies

International audienceClimate change has negative impacts on maize cultivation in southwestern France, such as soil erosion and water stress. The vulnerability of maize farming systems to climate change must be assessed before considering potential adaptation strategies. This study focused on eliciting and understanding criteria that maize growers use to assess the vulnerability of their farming systems to climate change. To this end, we surveyed maize growers in two consecutive stages: a qualitative stage, to elicit vulnerability criteria, and a quantitative stage, to test the genericity of criteria related to the adaptation strategies. The qualitative stage identified 144 criteria that farmers used to assess vulnerability to climate change, while the quantitative stage showed that farmers’ opinions about the adaptation strategies differed. Many factors explained these differences, including structural (e.g., soil type) and psychological factors (e.g., interest in agroecology). Our typology of farmers revealed that their interest in agroecology and technology, as well as their perceptions of the risks of climate change and their attachment to their production systems, influence the type of adaptations they identify as relevant (i.e., intensification strategies, slight adjustments or agroecological innovations). Farmers’ perceptions should be considered when providing individual advice and assessing vulnerability, by including criteria related to their psychological characteristics

Long term effect of contrasted cropping systems and climate change on drainage over 35 years: a lysimeter experiment.

Long term effect of contrasted cropping systems and climate change on drainage over 35 years: a lysimeter experiment.. 14. European Society of Agronomy Conference 2016-ESA1

Decision-Making Process Factors Explain Some of the Heterogeneity of Irrigation Practices among Maize Farmers in Southwestern France

International audienceAgricultural practices are heterogeneous among farmers in the face of climate hazards. Structural and material resources as well as risk preferences explain some of this heterogeneity, but little is known about how psychological factors associated with the decision-making process may explain differences in practices among farmers. The aim of this study was to understand whether decision-making process factors help explain the heterogeneity of a specific practice—the date of first irrigation—among maize farmers, along with material and structural factors. We conducted semi-directed interviews with 35 farmers who irrigated maize in southwestern France. We analyzed discriminating factors of the decision-making process, such as reactivity (i.e., capacity to change plans), deliberation (i.e., level of internal information used to make decisions) and assistance (i.e., level of external information used to make decisions). We used two complementary statistical methods (linear regression and regression trees) to analyze the database. Our study confirms the influence of material and structural factors, and also reveals the strong influence of decision-making process factors. A high level of reactivity is associated with adaptive behavior. Moreover, using decision-support tools and technologies helps farmers to manage the use of water resources. These elements could be used by advisors and public policy-makers in the agriculture sector to improve adaptation