Understanding the sources and impacts of multiple risks associated with agroecological transformation on the operation of an agricultural socio-ecosystem

Context and challenges

Indeed, transformative change is often perceived as a threat, particularly when it is seen as part of a political agenda, or when it challenges vested interests and existing organizational structures. These changes are also a source of multiple risks for the actors of this transformation, and more globally for the socio-ecosystem on which they act. And yet, very little attention has been given within research on the transformation of the agri-food system to the relationships between the risks incurred by farmers, cooperatives, residents of agricultural areas, biodiversity and the environment – including how to incorporate them to support sustainable transformations in our production and consumption patterns.

Goals

SESRisks proposes to develop a holistic, interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary approach to the multiple risks associated with agroecological transformation, by taking into account their origins and the links between the temporal and spatial scales at which they are expressed. By agroecological transformation, we mean a paradigm shift in the currently dominant agricultural model towards diversified agricultural models, adapted to local resources, that enhance ecosystem functioning and guarantee the economic performance of farms, the well-being of farmers, and food that is both plentiful and high quality for local consumers and others beyond the production basin. SESRisks will involve stakeholders in assessing the multiple risks associated with agroecological transformation. These stakeholders will include both actors of this transformation (primarily farmers and consumers) and non-human actors and the socio-ecosystem environment, in order to understand the effect of transformative changes on the health and resilience of the region. SESRisks will establish a conceptual framework to evaluate the risks associated with agroecological transformation that arise from the interaction between climate and demographic hazards, vulnerability, and exposure of the socio-ecosystem to natural and anthropogenic pressures.

INRAE structures

Non-INRAE partners