In order to meet the challenge of feeding a growing global population in a healthy and sustainable way, one of the tools is to strengthen the natural defenses of plants against pathogens, and particularly viruses. Among resistant plant varieties, natural mutations were selected for a study on this topic by the French National Institute of […]
The French Ministry for Agriculture and Food, along with the ministries for Economy, for Research and innovation and for Environment, has announced eight calls for project proposals on the theme of ecological and energy transition. This issue is at the heart of transforming economic sectors and allows for new market opportunities for businesses. This falls […]
The French National Institute of Agronomic Research (INRA) undertook a program starting in 2000 to create wine grape varieties possessing sustainable resistance to the main fungal infections that affect grape vines. This project has just led to four new varieties with natural resistance to mildew and ash disease, and whose wine quality is equivalent to […]
Put on line Jan. 19, the service platform La Forêt Bouge (The Forest Moves) is addressed to owners of private forests in France. A concrete action coming from the National Program of Forests and Wood, this website’s goal is to help owners locate, get to know better, and maintain their forested lands in order to […]
From the production of food products to the regulation of water flows, urban agriculture provides a number of services. Scientists from the French Institute of Agronomic Research and the AgroParisTech university have shown that rooftop gardens represent an interesting tool for urban waste management, for producing food products and for retaining rainwater runoff. The results […]
At a global scale, only 12 grape varieties (representing only 1% of the cultivated varieties available) make up nearly 80% of the vineyards of certain countries. Earlier harvest dates, droughts affecting grape vines, or wines with higher alcohol content, less acidity and new aromatic profiles all show that the winemaking industry is already affected by […]
Whether it be eco-systematic, species-related or genetic, biodiversity is eroding while the number and frequency of extreme meteorological events inherent to climate change is rising across the world. Current studies, which focus on meteorological variations of weak amplitude show that a larger degree of biodiversity contributes to the stability of ecosystems. However, studies relating to […]
Some climate policies targeting agriculture and forests, if they concur to a reduction of food production, could lead to an increase in the price of food products. However, reducing deforestation and increasing carbon sequestration in agricultural soils can strongly reduce greenhouse gas emissions that cause climate change, all while avoiding risks for food security. This […]
The 13th Conference of the Parties (COP) on the fight against desertification is taking place in China from Sept. 6 to 16, 2017. In preparation for this event, the World Future Council identified, on a planetary scale, the most innovative policies and those best placed to stop soil degradation and desertification. As part of this, […]
How should we prepare for future climate disruptions of agriculture and agricultural water resources over the coming two decades? A team of French senior experts from the Ministry of Agriculture has prepared a report evaluating the different possibilities. The authors looked for answers based on scenarios founded on six case studies in France. In their […]