Véronique Bellon-Maurel

Understanding Digital Agriculture - Understanding Digital Agriculture - (EAN13 : 9782759243617)

Appréhender l'agriculture numérique - 10 ans de recherche interdisciplinaire au sein de l’Institut #DigitAg - (EAN13 : 9782759242559)

This paper presents the way the digital transformation of the agricultural sector is implemented in Europe and in France. It describes the main European and national strategies, the structure of research and innovation initiatives, and the investment in capacity building to foster innovation, adoption and use. More specifically, the French research and innovation ecosystem on digital agriculture is described. The actors involved come from different organisations, such as research and higher educational institutes, government agencies, agricultural technology (AgTech) companies, farmer unions etc., and work together by means of associations (e.g. Robagri), networks (e.g. RMT Naexus, DigiFermes, Fermes Leader), or living labs (e.g. Occitanum) on both digital technology assessment and co-design. Additionally, support is devoted to capacity building (e.g. Le Mas numérique, Mobilab) and a better understanding of the drivers of adoption and use of digital technologies (e.g. FrOCDA). Among these various organisations, #DigitAg, the Digital Agriculture Convergence Lab, has been created to foster interdisciplinary research on digital agriculture. All these initiatives aim to use digital technologies to support the European Green Deal, Farm-to-Fork and Biodiversity strategies as well as the French orientation towards more agroecological practices for safer and more sustainable food systems. Even though this organisational ecosystem is developing fast, the objective of encouraging the coevolution of both digital and green transformations is not without challenges that still need to be overcome, either through new research, innovations, initiatives or collaborations between the actors involved.

Groundwater irrigation is an opportunity to improve yield, but it also brings about a variety of environmental impacts that go beyond the most noticeable impact of water depletion. In this paper, a multi‐criteria environmental impact assessment based on life cycle analysis (LCA) is conducted at the regional level on the Kairouan Plain (Tunisia) where groundwater withdrawals for irrigation purposes are constantly increasing. At this regional level, we have addressed impacts of both groundwater pumping and cropping practices. The diversity of farming and cropping systems was also accounted for.Results highlight that the main processes contributing to the impacts on resources—when overlooking impacts on water depletion—are: energy used for groundwater pumping (23%), fertilization (30%), i.e. road transportation of manure (21%), ammonium nitrate manufacturing (9%), and also the manufacturing of irrigation pipes (13%). However, the specific impacts of freshwater depletion on natural resources are by far the most severe when accounted for in the method. Indeed, it is essential that these impacts on freshwater depletion be fully accounted for in this water‐scarce context, especially given the increasing water scarcity predicted by climatic models. Copyright © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The agro-ecological transition is an ambitious challenge. It can be met by implementing the fundamentals of agroecology (use of biodiversity, integration of agriculture in landscapes, closure of flow loops) in the context of a broad and renewed offer of technologies: agro-equipment, biotechnology, digital technologies… This article explores the role that agro-equipment and digital services can play in this transition. These technologies contribute through various levers to the agro-ecological transition: by improving farming efficiency (more service rendered for the same environmental impact), by precision farming (adaptation of the operations to the needs of the plant or the animal based on a monitoring–diagnosis–recommendation cycle) and by the development of specialized machinery helping the farmer to achieve “flow loop-closing” (at the plot level, by maintaining the soil quality, or at the farm level, with the recycling of organic effluents) or to take advantage of biodiversity (e.g., with agro-equipment adapted to mixed crops). The technological bricks that are requested and for which advances are expected are: sensors (to measure plant or animal needs) and associated digital technologies (information transfer, data processing), precision technologies for input application, robotics, specialized machines to manage soil cover and weeds, or for agroforestry. The brakes and engines for innovation in agro-equipment are studied. The brakes are the generally small structure of the farm manufacturing companies, the deficit of the demand from farmers and the complexity − either real or perceived − of these equipments. To encourage innovation, several levers are to be used: involving users in the design of agro-equipments, creating financial incentives for innovative equipment purchase, and training end-users, prescribers and dealers to the high potential of these new technologies. In conclusion, putting agro-equipment and digital technology at the service of agroecology is not a straightforward route, but it is above all a real opportunity to produce better, technically and organizationally, with the emergence of new solidarities (sharing of data and knowledge). This is why it is absurd, as it is sometimes read, to oppose agroecology and technology. Agroecology is a set of practices to be built, while agro-equipment and digital technologies are a set of resources to be mobilized, with others, to achieve the objectives of sustainable agricultural production. La transition agroécologique est un challenge ambitieux qui pourra être relevé en mettant en œuvre les fondamentaux de l'agroécologie (utilisation de la biodiversité, insertion de l'agriculture dans les paysages, bouclage des flux) dans le cadre d'une offre large et renouvelée de technologies : agroéquipements, biotechnologies, numérique… Cet article étudie le rôle que peuvent jouer les agroéquipements et services numériques dans cette transition. Ces technologies contribuent via divers leviers à la transition agroécologique, via l'amélioration de l'efficacité (plus de service rendu pour le même impact environnemental), l'agriculture de précision (adaptation aux besoins de la plante dans un cycle de type « observation − diagnostic − préconisation − application ») et le développement de machines spéciales pour implémenter le bouclage des flux (au niveau de la parcelle, en maintenant la qualité des sols, ou au niveau de l'exploitation, avec le recyclage des effluents organiques) ou pour tirer parti de la biodiversité (agroéquipements adaptés aux cultures mixtes par exemple). Les briques technologiques qui sont sollicitées et pour lesquelles des avancées sont attendues sont : les capteurs (pour mesurer l'expression des besoins des plantes ou des animaux) et le numérique (transfert d'information, traitement de données), les technologies de précision pour l'application d'intrants, la robotique, les machines spéciales pour gérer la couverture du sol ou pour l'agroforesterie. Les freins et les moteurs pour l'innovation en agroéquipements sont étudiés. Côté freins, ont été identifiés la petite structure des agroéquipementiers, le déficit de la demande et la complexité réelle ou perçue de ces équipements. Pour favoriser l'innovation, plusieurs leviers sont actionnables : associer les utilisateurs (agriculteurs, entrepreneurs) à la conception des agroéquipements, créer des incitations financières à l'achat d'équipements innovants, et enfin former, non seulement les utilisateurs finaux mais aussi les prescripteurs et concessionnaires au potentiel de ces nouvelles technologies. En conclusion, mettre les agroéquipements et le numérique au service de l'agroécologie est une voie peu banale, mais qui est aussi et surtout une réelle opportunité de produire autrement, d'un point de vue technique et organisationnel, avec l'émergence de nouvelles solidarités (partage des données, partage des savoirs). C'est pourquoi il est absurde, comme on le lit parfois, d'opposer ces deux entités, l'agroécologie − bouquet de pratiques à construire − et l'agroéquipement et le numérique − bouquet de ressources à mobiliser, avec d'autres, pour atteindre les objectifs d'une production agricole durable.