SCA0PEST, a pesticide-free agroforestry cropping system: ex-ante performance evaluation

Summary

From mid 2000, in order to address global challenges, European member states’ strategies for agriculture have progressively identified and given priority to the set up of a multi-functional farm model. In France, first reflection officially started in 2007 through the Grenelle de l'Environnement initiative from which several priority themes were identified, and dedicated measures approved. Concerning agriculture, four different objectives were selected: (a) the deployment of organic farming up to 20 % of the utilized agricultural area by 2020, (b) the Ecophyto plan for a 50 % reduction of the pesticides use, (c) the enforcement of the High Nature Value (HNV) certification scheme and the certification of at least 50 % of the French farms by 2012, and (d) the energetic diagnosis of at least 100.000 farms every 5 years within the farms' energetic performances (PPE) plan. If most of the quantified objectives have not been reached by 2014, coming into force of these measures actually goes on and represents a real opportunity for research organisms to participate to both food security and socio-environmental sustainability by the design, test and deployment of new Productive and Efficient Cropping Systems (PECS). Conversely to the majority of the PECS tested within the EXPE Dephy Ecophyto program, some have been imagined to go further the sole re-conquest of water quality by reducing drastically, or even renouncing chemical pesticides. They actually target (i) the reduction of the farm carbon footprint by reducing and/or mitigating GHG emission, (ii) the improvement of local ecological connectivity by contributing to the establishment emission, (ii) the improvement of local ecological connectivity by contributing to the establishment of new biocorridors and (iii) the financial sustainability of the experimental farms. Among the forty-one EXPE projects funded in 2012 and 2013, only one is testing and monitoring a pesticide-free agroforestry cropping system: SCA0PEST. It aims to: run an experts' panel conceptualization of the SCA0PEST cropping system by considering locally the actual and future market outlets, the hosting parcel and farmhouse agrotechnical potential, and local epidemiologic pressures; to deploy and conduce in farm conditions the cropping system; assess global and thematic performances of it; and favour the disclosure of the obtained knowledge and references towards farmers, advisers and agricultural students