The document discusses the need for a transition towards agroecology in European agriculture as a response to climate change and the limitations of current sustainable intensification practices. It highlights the resilience and biodiversity benefits of agroecological practices, including reduced dependency on external inputs and improved soil health, and emphasizes the importance of participatory research in this process. The document concludes that successful transitions will require multi-disciplinary approaches, supportive public policies, and market reforms to integrate innovative agricultural practices.

1. Innovation, research, learning processes and
transitions towards agroecology
Jean-François Soussana,
Scientific Director for Environment,
INRA, Paris, France

2. Outline
• Contrasted agricultural models in Europe (sustainable
intensification vs. agroecology)
• Research and innovation for better using natural
regulations in agriculture
• Climate change, a game changer for scaling
agroecology?

3. Eco-efficiency (sustainable intensification):
the standard paradigm in Europe
Nevertheless, resilience of specialized systems is at risk !
Increased sensitivity to pests and diseases, and to climatic hazards,
Reduced biodiversity and ecosystem services
(apart from production)
Increased GHG emissions per unit land (not necessarily per unit product)

4. Agroecology (and organic farming): an alternative paradigm
Reduced external inputs
Increased resilience to pest & diseases, and to climatic hazards?
Increased on-farm labor
Increased biodiversity and ecosystem services
Reduced GHG emissions per unit land (not necessarily per unit product)
Functional
diversity
Ecological
infrastructures

5.  Agro-ecology: ecologically grounded production systems fitted to
local conditions (e.g. Gliessman et al., 2006)
 Agroecology would:
 Reduce dependency to external inputs and increase resilience to climatic and
sanitary hazards,
 Share land between production and other ecosystem services, diversify food
products and diets,
 Increase or preserve labor in farms (smallholders) and in rural areas.
 Agroecology can develop through participatory research supported
by advanced knowledge of ecological processes in agriculture and by
dedicated technologies (e.g. bio-control, soil biota indicators, etc..) at
field and lanscape scales
 However, it requires capacity building, dedicated tools and extra-
monitoring time, reorganization of up- and downstream industries.
Agroecology (land sharing) paradigm

6. Thèmes
Biodiversité Paysages/Territoires Cycles
%desexemples
0
20
40
60
80
Méthodes
% exemples
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35
Technologies
Politiques publiques
Coordination acteurs
Formation, Outils
Conception participative
Which role of research in France?
 INRA and CIRAD have a joined strategy on
agroecology (see leaflets).
 In France, already in 2013, more than 100 examples
of participatory research involving INRA were
discussed during a workshop

7. Sunflower – Soybean
mixture
Triticale – bean
mixture
Durum wheat – Pea mixture
Increasing crop diversity
(Justes INRA Toulouse)

8. Genetic diversity and
root symbioses
Legume genetic diversity is used forLegume genetic diversity is used for
breeding and increasing biological Nbreeding and increasing biological N
fixation with pulses and foragefixation with pulses and forage
legumes.legumes.
Crop rotations with legumes emit lessCrop rotations with legumes emit less
NN22O in long-term field trials than controlO in long-term field trials than control
monocultures.monocultures.
Service plants (e.g.Service plants (e.g. AlliumAllium sp.) developsp.) develop
mycorhizae colonizing the root systemsmycorhizae colonizing the root systems
of cropof crop species such as tomato.species such as tomato.
Inoculation withInoculation with AzospirillumAzospirillum enhancesenhances
root branching and nutrients uptakeroot branching and nutrients uptake

9. Restoring soil biology, organic matter and fertility
Soil quality is monitored on a
regular (16x16 kms) grid at
national scale. Total soil DNA
content, which is an estimate of
biological activity, is controled by
physico-chemical factors (e.g. soil
pH) and by land use with lower
DNA contents in arable crops
compared to grasslands and
forests.
Agroecology restores soil biology and
fertility e.g. through reduced tillage,
increased use of legumes, cover crops
and species rich crop rotations. This
favours soil carbon sequestration ,
water and nutrients retention and
resilience to climatic variability.
Soils act as nutrients banks with
cellulolytic fungi that would control C:N
stoichiometry through the priming
effect

10. MANAGING LANDSCAPES AND WATERSHEDS
Modeling the epidemiological incidence for rust of contrastedModeling the epidemiological incidence for rust of contrasted
spatial arrangements of wheat cultivars.spatial arrangements of wheat cultivars.
Generalist rust strains are impaired by a spatial mix of cultivarsGeneralist rust strains are impaired by a spatial mix of cultivars
with contrasted resistance genes (Petit, Lannou et al.)with contrasted resistance genes (Petit, Lannou et al.)
Functional
diversity
Ecological
networks
Phenotypic
plasticity
Adaptation
Evolution
Landscape
ecology
Stoechiometry
Population, meta-community, ecosystem
Theories and concepts derived from ecologyTheories and concepts derived from ecology
support the design and management ofsupport the design and management of
agroecological landscapes.agroecological landscapes.
Restoring wetlands and woodlands buffers strongly reduces pesticide loadsRestoring wetlands and woodlands buffers strongly reduces pesticide loads
from drained fields and improves donwnstream water qualityfrom drained fields and improves donwnstream water quality
Mixing grasslands and diverse arable cropsMixing grasslands and diverse arable crops
provides a sustained resource for pollinatorsprovides a sustained resource for pollinators
throughout the yearthroughout the year
Buildup of ecological services (pollinisation, soil andBuildup of ecological services (pollinisation, soil and
water conservation, plant and animal health, …) based onwater conservation, plant and animal health, …) based on
negotiated agreements across stakeholders sharing anegotiated agreements across stakeholders sharing a
‘territory’‘territory’

11. Biodiversity conservation and ecosystem services
• Grazing exclusion at flowering peak can double butterfly populations in cattle-grazed
‘intensive’ pastures
(Farruggia et al., 2012)
• Collective landscape management based on coordination among farmers balances
milk production and conservation of shorebirds (Sabatier et al., 2010, 2014)

12. Integrated management of animal health
- Mobilizing the adaptability of animals (prevention)
- Select animals adapted to their breeding environment
- To climate, e.g. heat (small size, low fat, high urine N content)
-To feed restrictions (mobilization of reserves
and compensatory growth)
- To parasites (trypano tolerance, ticks, digestive strongyles)
- Using the principles of ecology to manage host-pathogen interactions
• Adapt practices to reduce susceptibility to pathogens, e.g. disrupt
host-pathogen cycles by altering the distribution of animals
in space and time (Cabaret, 2007; Prache et al., 2011)
• Use of bioactive plants, (e.g. common sainfoin, Onobrychis viciifolia)
to reduce the infestation of small ruminants by digestive strongyles (Hoste et al.,
2006)

13. 13
Participatory farming system design
(Reau et
al, 2012)

14. Climate change: a game changer for
agricultural systems?
• Increasing risks from climatic variability and associated price
volatility,
• Increasing demands for drastic GHG mitigation in agricultural
and food systems,
• Increased pressures on soils, water resources and
biodiversity,
• Changes in plant product composition that could affect
nutritional security

15. 2016 crop harvest in France
A 30% decline in wheat yield and a 20% drop in cereal production
A series of climate hazards:
Warm winter and early crop development
Cold during wheat flowering, impairing grain formation (meïosis)
Excess water in May-June: anoxic conditions and local flooding
Heavy fungal disease pressure
Low solar radiation reducing grain filling
Heat and drought in July and August, affecting summer crops (e.g. corn)
How to adapt to increased climatic variability?

16. Increasing resilience to climatic hazards
 Precision agriculture and advanced breeding (incremental adaptation)
 Breeding shows negative trade-offs between plant (or animal) potential productivity
and resilience to climatic hazards,
 Water and nutrients use efficiency should be increased, but soil and water resources
also are at risk,
 Crop monitoring , remote sensing and improved weather forecast have large potential
 Agroecology: soil and water conservation (systemic adaptation)
 Integrated water management at catchment scale,
 Conservation agriculture (no-till, cover-crops, mulch, green manure, etc.),
 Crop-livestock integration, perennial crops, etc.
 Agroecology: diversification: increased resilience at farm scale
(transformative adaptation)
 Crop rotation, grass leys, permanent grasslands, specialized crops,
 Mixed cultivars, grass-legume mixtures, etc.
 Agroforestry (improved micro-climate),
 Diversified landscapes (reduced pest and disease pressure)

17. territoire métropolitain (en Mt de CO2e évité) des actions instruites.
****** ** ** **
****
**** **
** Agroecology option
Of total mitigation potential:
•Ecoefficiency: 60%
•Agroecology: 59%
•Options in common: 19%
Options for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in French agricultureOptions for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in French agriculture

18. What is « The 4 per 1000 initiative :
Soils for food security and climate
» ?
=> A multi-stakeholder Initiative launched by France at COP21
with the support of FAO
⇒One of the 6 initiatives of the Agriculture focus of the Lima
– Paris Action Agenda (LPAA)
⇒ 1 objective: increase soil fertility thanks to carbon
sequestration in soils
=> 3 major outcomes:
- Improve food security
- Adapt agriculture to climate change
- Mitigate GHG emissions
18

19. Conclusions
In Europe, there are multiple options for agroecology that may considerably vary
among agro-ecological zones and according to the social, economic and human
dimensions of farming systems.
Such options include:
i) the intensification of extensive systems through an increased use of biodiversity,
landscape management (including agroforestry) and recoupling of nutrients and carbon
cycles,
ii) transitions to organic production systems, which are currently expanding in France
for instance
iii) transformation of intensive systems by reducing inputs, especially through crop
diversification, crop-livestock integration and agroforestry.
Transitions require an open innovation strategy that takes advantage of the knowledge
developed by farmers and integrates their advances within multi-disciplinary and
participatory approach that reconnect agricultural sciences, ecology and social sciences.
Climate change and health concerns have a large role for transitions towards
agroecology, that require however public policies and market reforms