Agroecology

Many definitions of agroecology exist. In the UMR AGIR, we rely on the definition suggested by several scientists of our UMR in the Dictionary of Agroecology.

Agroecology aims to promote sustainable food systems, respectful of people and their environment. These systems involve agricultural production methods and supply chains which value the ecological, economic and social potential of a territory. Their development relies on transdisciplinary approaches which bring together professionals from the agricultural sector, scientists, actors of agroecology social movements and public policies.

Agroecology is an alternative to intensive agriculture which relies on high level of synthetic inputs (fertilizers, pesticides, etc.) and fossil fuels. Agroecology promotes agricultural production systems which value biological diversity and natural processes (nitrogen, carbon, and water cycles, biological balances between pests and crop auxiliaries, etc.).

Agroecology is growing in academia as an approach integrating concepts and methods of a variety of fields including agronomy, ecology, economics, sociology, geography. This field of research analyzes the evolutionary relationships within agricultural systems between living organisms, the way they are managed, and their ecological, economic and social context, at different levels (from plot to landscape, from individual to community, from short to long-term).

Agroecology is brought into the public sphere by social movements which defend food sovereignty and small-scale agriculture. It also questions the way we eat, and it supports the development of localized food systems to restore the link between our food and the way it is produced.

Agroecology calls for a genuine transition in the agricultural and agri-food sectors, related to the energy transition. Relying on a systemic vision, this field also encompasses other aspects of our economy in addition to food production, such as the production of renewable energies (methanation, biofuels …) or fibers.