Promoting organic research & development: lessons from an interdisciplinary group from France (2000-2013)

Summary

At INRA (French National Institute for Agricultural Research), the CIAB (Internal Committee of Organic Agriculture) is the main driver of an organic research program. The aim of this paper is to analyze whether these projects comply with the main objectives set out in the program. A database was built with all of the 40 project proposals that were finally approved. The database also made it possible to depict participation in collaborative networks. The analysis highlights four major benefits: (i) Structuring a network of scientific and professional partnerships, (ii) Mobilizing new research teams in the organic program,(iii) Resulting networks and partnerships,(iv) Mobilizing disciplinary or interdisciplinary approaches. We finally draw lessons on the relevance of associating skills for the identification, management and evaluation of research projects