Christophe-Toussaint Soulard

Peri-urban agro-ecosystems in the Mediterranean: diversity, dynamics, and drivers

To address sustainability challenges of agro-ecosystems located in Mediterranean urban regions, this paper focuses on the multidisciplinary subject of urban agricultural systems. To better understand the diversity and dynamics of peri-urban agro-ecosystems and the main drivers of their sustainability, we compare six case studies located in Southern Europe (Montpellier, France; Pisa, Italy; Lisbon, Portugal; Athens, Greece) and the Maghreb (Constantine, Algeria; Meknes, Morocco). The research is based on fieldwork in each urban region (qualitative analysis) and literature analysis aimed to position each case study in its national and Mediterranean contexts. The comparison between local contexts indicates large discrepancies in the integration of environmental focus among the respective urban planning objectives. Generally, urbanization tends to accentuate agricultural diversity. The different forms of peri-urban agriculture evolve despite their persistent decline, and they also show a capacity to resist and even new growth in response to urban demand.

Role des acteurs publics dans l’emergence de strategies agricoles des villes. Exemples en mediterranee

L’article s’interroge sur le role des politiques publiques et des acteurs publics dans l’emergence de strategies agricoles des villes. Deux echelles d’analyse sont privilegiees : l’effet de cadrage des politiques publiques aux echelles nationales et internationales et les formes de gouvernance mises en place a l’echelle locale. L’analyse s’appuie sur une comparaison des dynamiques dans cinq regions urbaines de Mediterranee (Constantine, Lisbonne, Meknes, Montpellier, Pise). L’etude montre que les politiques publiques jouent un role variable dans l’emergence de strategies agricoles urbaines ; les referentiels qui les sous-tendent peuvent les favoriser ou les contraindre. L’approche comparative met en evidence le role significatif de l’europeanisation des politiques publiques et du paradigme du developpement durable dans l’emergence de ces strategies. Les initiatives et les formes de gouvernance developpees a l’echelle locale s’averent egalement determinantes. Les configurations sont ici tres diverses. Les acteurs publics peuvent etre initiateurs, facilitateurs ou recuperateurs de ces innovations territoriales.

Reconsidering innovation to address sustainable development

The world is being confronted by a multi-faceted systemic crisis. In addition to structural and ongoing changes such as climate change, increased pressure on renewable resources and population growth (still strong in Africa), the world must now contend with a severe economic crisis of unpredictable consequences, deepening poverty, shrinking export markets, tighter credit and cutbacks in development funding. In such a context, agriculture faces an uncertain future, particularly in some of the world’s regions, with the emergence of differentiated development models that have led to an increasingly fragile family agriculture and the simultaneous rise of a capitalist agriculture. Nevertheless, this systemic crisis may also provide new opportunities over the long term. It is leading to a break from the past and calling into question paradigms until now taken for granted. It has brought to the fore the vulnerability of agricultural and agrifood systems and highlighted the need for innovation to take advantage of new development models. At a time of great uncertainty, with shifting values and standards, our societies should show themselves to be creative by reinventing modes of production, processing and distribution of agricultural products with a long-term perspective that takes into account the territories and their peoples, putting the concept of sustainability at centre stage.

The Contribution of Agronomic Research to Innovation: The Experience of INRA-SAD in France

Faced with the crises and challenges associated with global change, innovation has been put forward as the solution sine qua none to construct adaptation strategies for agriculture. However, while various technical solutions have been discovered by farmers and researchers, and while the principles of sustainable development have been put forward in public policy, the implementation of a sustainable agricultural alternative has been slow in becoming established. This perspective demands that agronomic research become more innovative. In France, the Sciences for Action and Development (Sciences pour l’Action et le Developpement (SAD)) division of the French National Institute for Agricultural Research (Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA)) was created in 1979 to better understand the reasons for the resistance of farmers to the adoption of innovations associated with the dominant productivist model. Using a systemic approach, the research in the SAD division revealed the diversity of innovation processes by which farmers adapted to change. This research also gave rise to the development of certain technical solutions, based on the principles of agro-ecology and territorial innovation, and which appeared capable of helping a diversity of agricultural systems to reorient themselves towards greater sustainability. During this research, the principle of co-construction of solutions involving researchers and practitioners became affirmed. Faced with the challenges of climate change, these researches need a more prospective approaches.