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[hal-05232413] How contracting in the value chain can reduce farmer's exposure to risks and enhance crop diversification ? A case study approach in the crop sector in France
Marketing contracts are widely used to organise the exchanges in minor crop value chains facing uncertainty. In this study, we investigate how this vertical coordination tool can incentivize farmers to adopt grain-legumes in their crop rotations by transferring part the production and market risks to downstream firms. The risk transfer mechanism is analysed using a methodology based on surveys of chain of agents involved in a given value chain. We examine 5 case studies based on the type of legume and the organisation of the value chain. The results show that the payment system, the design of the contracts and the material and immaterial resources reinforced by the relationship between farmers and downstream firms, especially technical knowledge resources, contribute to reduce farmer’s exposure to risks and favour the development of the legume value chain, which is key for the agro-ecological transition.
ano.nymous@ccsd.cnrs.fr.invalid (Auguste Bréavoine) 01 Sep 2025
https://hal.inrae.fr/hal-05232413v1
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[hal-05148951] Reducing risks of crop diversification for the agroecological transition, is contracting in the value chain a part of the solution?
The sustainability transition in the agri-food sector remains understudied (e.g. Vermunt et al., 2020). A key challenge is crop diversification, which implies a shift from a system dependent on a few major species (like cereals) to one based on many species (including legumes such as chickpeas, lentils, etc.), together with a reorganisation of the value chain, which implies the creation of niche markets, often regulated by contracts between farmers and their first buyer (Adjemian et al., 2016). In addition, low investment in this sector in the past led to a lock-in situation with lack of knowledge, higher yield variability and few outlets (Magrini et al., 2016). Such transformation creates uncertainty and new risks, especially for farmers, including production risks, which require technical knowledge and innovation, and market risks, such as fluctuations in quantity, quality and prices. New organisational arrangements in value chains with farmers, such as production contracts --- pre-planting commitments that fix a quantity, price formulas and technical requirements --- could address uncertainty and develop niche innovation in legumes crops (Cholez and Magrini, 2023). However, whether the governance of exchanges through such contracts could also increase farmers’ innovative capacity to adopt more sustainable practices remains an open question. Additionally, looking at the way the agricultural trade with farmers is structured is also important because market arrangements are major structural dimension of tensions and conflicts within value chains. Our study builds on Cholez and Magrini (2023) initial findings, which highlight the role of production contracts in fostering dialogue, trust, knowledge sharing and learning, which are key to mitigating tensions and conflicts (Andersen et al., 2023). We explore how this vertical coordination tool can support a collective risk management strategy in the French legume sector, and reduce tensions and conflicts within value chains. Our hypothesis is that, while production contracts are primarily designed to secure supply for buyers, they also strengthen trust and collective commitment to sustainable practices, because the contractual design could allow for a risk-sharing mechanism that benefits all parties involved in the long run by reducing opportunism. This encourages investment in both material and human resources needed to sustainably change of the production practices on farms and in processing plants. We developed an original analytical framework based on the economic literature on agricultural risks and contracts (e.g. Hardaker et al., 2004; Roussy et al., 2018, Vavra 2008), combined with the literature on transition studies, in particular on the role of niche innovations (e.g. Smith and Raven, 2012). We apply this framework through 5 in-depth case studies of contract chains, based on 21 interviews with commercial directors of processing and collecting companies and with farmers. Our results highlight the potential role of contracts in supporting the agroecological transition. This research is of particular interest to policy makers at various levels, from the European Commission to local agricultural institutions, and could also inspire other sectors facing value chain organisation challenges for sustainability transition.
ano.nymous@ccsd.cnrs.fr.invalid (Auguste Bréavoine) 07 Jul 2025
https://hal.inrae.fr/hal-05148951v1
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[hal-04982344] CH10 -Advances in the reduction of herbicide use in Conservation Agriculture systems
Conservation agriculture (CA) appears as a promising agricultural pathway to achieve multiperformance but is currently questioned due to its reliance on herbicides for weed management, especially glyphosate.<p>One limit in the development of CA-based agroecological cropping system less reliant on herbicide use is the strict definition of CA based on technical means (i.e. the three principles) rather than targeted objectives. In this chapter, we mobilize research carried out on experimental stations (e.g. CA-SYS platform) and farmer networks (e.g. French DEPHY-farm network) to synthesize knowledge on how pesticide-free no-till agriculture could be achieved. We provide insights on the multiperformance of pesticide-free and nature-based CA systems compared to reference CA systems. Designing cover crops to ensure growth in a context of unpredictable weather conditions and facilitate mechanical termination, and ensuring crop establishment in absence of tillage and herbicides represent major research avenues for the development of pesticide-free CA systems.</p>
ano.nymous@ccsd.cnrs.fr.invalid (Stéphane Cordeau) 07 Mar 2025
https://hal.inrae.fr/hal-04982344v1
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[hal-05029433] Identification d'idéotypes variétaux pour la gestion des adventices : Exemple du pois associé au blé
Associer le pois (Pisum sativum L.) au blé (Triticum aestivum L.) peut réduire l'infestation et les dommages causés par les adventices. Nous avons mené des expériences virtuelles avec le modèle FLORSYS afin d'identifier, en fonction du dispositif d'association et de la flore adventice, (1) les paramètres clé du pois (traits) qui déterminent le rendement et le contrôle des adventices dans les associations pois blé, (2) les combinaisons optimales des valeurs des paramètres du pois et du blé, ainsi que les techniques culturales de l'association, pour maximiser ces objectifs. Les simulations ont inclus des variétés existantes (5 pois et 3 blé) et virtuelles (5 et 10). Les associations ont réduit la perte de rendement du pois due aux adventices (de 30 % pour la variété la moins tolérante aux adventices) et l'infestation du champ (14 %). Un rendement élevé en pois dans les associations infestées d'adventices nécessite une variété de pois à haut potentiel de rendement, une variété de blé suppressive des adventices, et des techniques culturales préventives des adventices. Les résultats ont été synthétisés dans des tableaux de conseils.
ano.nymous@ccsd.cnrs.fr.invalid (Nathalie Colbach) 10 Apr 2025
https://hal.inrae.fr/hal-05029433v1
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[hal-05031046] Motifs de semis, traits et proportions d'espèces pour la gestion agroécologique des adventices dans les associations légumineuse-céréale
L'objectif de cette étude était d'évaluer par simulation avec le modèle FLORSYS, paramétré et évalué préalablement, les effets, en l'absence de stress azoté ou hydrique, d'associations bispécifiques légumineuse-céréale sur la dynamique des adventices et la production des cultures. Sept proportions d'espèces, neuf motifs spatiaux de semis et quatre mélanges (triticale-féverole, blé-féverole, blé-pois, orge-pois) ont été comparés aux cultures pures. Les simulations montrent que (1) les associations orgepois et triticale-féverole contrôlent le mieux les adventices, (2) le motif alternant un rang de céréale et un rang de légumineuse, d'une part, et les proportions d'espèces avec deux tiers de céréales, d'autre part, maximisent les rendements et minimisent les pertes dues aux adventices, (3) la biomasse adventice en association est supérieure ou égale à celle en céréale pure mais toujours inférieure à celle en légumineuse pure et, (4) l'association bénéficie surtout aux légumineuses grâce à la compétition exercée sur les adventices par la céréale associée.
ano.nymous@ccsd.cnrs.fr.invalid (Pierre Lebreton) 11 Apr 2025
https://hal.inrae.fr/hal-05031046v1
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[hal-05071357] Pulses in branded agri-food products: the African and global situation
Using text mining methods, we explored the diversity of pulses used in around 350,000 agri-food products launched on the market over the last decade and referenced in the GNPD-Mintel database. The position of soya in comparison with other legumes identified as pulses and promoted by the United Nations were compared worldwide. The positioning of the different species in the list of ingredients and in the products' description have made it possible to assess their relative importance in the branded food offered to consumers. The supremacy of soya was observed worldwide. Such result is confirmed in African countries even though fewer number of products were referenced there. This original method opens up new perspectives for monitoring the use of crops in the food market and its evolution over time and space.
ano.nymous@ccsd.cnrs.fr.invalid (Marie-Benoît Magrini) 16 May 2025
https://hal.inrae.fr/hal-05071357v1
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[hal-05031215] Effet de l'écimage des adventices sur leurs nuisibilités
L'écimage est une technique curative qui consiste à couper les parties aériennes hautes des adventices après floraison et avant grenaison, limitant ainsi le retour au stock semencier de graines viables et limiter la gêne ou les impuretés à la récolte. L'efficacité de l'écimage, son effet sur la compétition entre culture et adventice ainsi que son incidence sur le stock des semences sont peu documentés. Pourtant ces informations sont essentielles, notamment dans la gestion des adventices. Cette technique est supposée efficace si elle empêche une majorité de graines adventices d'alimenter le stock semencier, mais son succès dépend de la date et de la hauteur de l'écimage. En 2022, des essais sur 9 parcelles de blé ont comptabilisé 80 770 graines de vulpins, dont 12 242 ont été testées pour leur viabilité. En moyenne, 40 % des graines sont écimées, ce taux augmentant de 35 % à 55 % entre le 20/05 et le 15/06. Un écimage parfait pourrait atteindre 60 %, voire 70 %. La viabilité des graines écimées est de 11,2 % en moyenne, augmentant avec la date d'écimage, mais non influencée par la hauteur de l'épi. Un écimage agressif affectant le feuillage impacte peu le rendement du blé.
ano.nymous@ccsd.cnrs.fr.invalid (Stéphane Cordeau) 11 Apr 2025
https://hal.inrae.fr/hal-05031215v1
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[hal-05028941] Rôle des couverts d'interculture et de leurs modes de destruction dans la régulation des adventices
L'étude visait à (i) identifier les pratiques de gestion des couverts pour réduire les adventices dans les cultures suivantes et (ii) quantifier les effets intentionnels ou non de méthodes de destruction des couverts/adventices/repousses. Les couverts d'interculture ont significativement réduit les adventices en interculture de 68 % à 94 % selon leur composition, mais ces effets sont moins visibles dans les cultures. La fertilisation des couverts augmente la biomasse des couverts sans avantage compétitif sur les adventices. L'irrigation des couverts au semis a été inefficace ou contreproductive, augmentant la biomasse adventice en interculture sans effet dans les cultures suivantes. Le travail du sol, le désherbage électrique et le bioherbicide se sont avérées efficaces pour détruire le couvert en place, mais le travail du sol stimule de nouvelles germinations. Le désherbage électrique, ne permet pas, comme les rouleaux, de faire un effet mulch avec le couvert et favorise aussi des levées d'adventices. Les rouleaux ont des efficacités de destruction faibles quand le couvert est peu développé ou trop ligneux. Les résultats sont donc très inféodés au couvert semé et aux conditions météorologiques.
ano.nymous@ccsd.cnrs.fr.invalid (Stéphane Cordeau) 10 Apr 2025
https://hal.inrae.fr/hal-05028941v1
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[hal-05100713] Efficient and heritable gene editing through CRISPR-Cas9 in Pisum sativum
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ano.nymous@ccsd.cnrs.fr.invalid (Chloé Soulard) 06 Jun 2025
https://hal.science/hal-05100713v1
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[tel-04991455] Application of translational research to the study of biological functions associated with stress resistance and adaptation to agroecological cropping systems in pulses
Promoting the integration of grain legumes into the agricultural and food systems is a major goal in the current agroecological transition. Indeed, nitrogen fixed by soil bacteria in symbiosis with legumes is an alternative to synthetic fertilizers, and grain legumes are a sustainable source of proteins. However, they are affected by many biotic and abiotic stresses that directly impact their production, particularly in agroecological systems. Numerous data on stress tolerance were first acquired on model legume species. The democratization of sequencing technologies has enabled the development of genetic, genomic and other -omic resources directly for cultivated legumes, including pea, faba bean and lentil. It is now essential to create tools that facilitate the transfer of knowledge between model and/or cultivated species. The objective of my thesis was to create a graph database, allowing to (i) cross-reference and query available genetic and -omic data, in an intelligent and efficient manner, within and between target species and (ii) explore through use cases the possibilities offered by translational approaches and their limits for the transfer of knowledge between species. First, a pipeline named Ortho_KB was developed to integrate the heterogeneous data available in different species; genomic, genetic and transcriptomic data, as well as functional annotation of genes and homology and synteny. The OrthoLegKB graph database, derived from Ortho_KB and dedicated to legumes, was created. Comparative genomic data between the species considered were generated by the detection of orthologous genes and syntenic regions between their chromosomes. A collection of heterogeneous data was constituted from the literature and the data available from the host research team. All these data were annotated using ontologies, which provided a controlled and common vocabulary for the different species. And, OrthoLegKB was tested by studying the conservation of a gene controlling flowering time. In a second step, OrthoLegKB was exploited to study the genetic and molecular determinism of frost tolerance in legumes from temperate regions. Queries on the data available for this trait, from both the literature and a GWAS carried out in the team for faba bean, showed a strong synteny of the regions controlling this trait within the Fabeae subgroup. These regions included candidate genes supported by differential expression data under low temperature conditions. In addition, OrthoLegKB revealed genomic regions controlling simultaneously frost tolerance and key morphological traits. To conclude, my thesis has (i) produced a tool for translational research in legumes, OrthoLegKB, and (ii) provided evidence that this tool is applicable for comparative and translational approaches that can benefit for varietal improvement. Ortho(Leg)KB has been used for other traits, through collaborations initiated in research projects; it has been presented to different audiences during conferences, working meetings or trainings. The perspectives of this work are to expand its applications to new traits and to continue to develop Ortho_KB to improve its use and dissemination.
ano.nymous@ccsd.cnrs.fr.invalid (Baptiste Imbert) 14 Mar 2025
https://hal.inrae.fr/tel-04991455v1
