Agricultural intensification and the destruction of semi-natural landscapes (field copses, hedges, buffer strips, etc.) is one of the primary causes of current biodiversity loss. While reconverting cultivated lands to semi-natural landscapes is often difficult in many areas, increasing the complexity of the crop mosaic by decreasing field size and/or increasing the diversity of planted crops […]
A team of French researchers, some of them from the French National Institute for Agricultural Research, has just shown for the first time that organic agriculture benefits honey bee colonies feeding particularly during the period of food scarcity at the end of spring. The research team analyzed six years of data collected as part of […]
Since June 2019, a new social network allows farmers to connect to one another and to exchange, particularly around their practices: Farmr. How does this new French platform work? In December 2017, Baptist Létocart founded his business Farmr with his associate Thomas Camboulive. “I am from an agricultural background, my colleague comes from the digital […]
Launched by the Ministry for Higher Education, Research, and Innovation, the Zero Pesticide Goal Program is part of the French government’s goal of moving toward an agriculture that is more respectful of the environment and better for human health. It creates a roadmap that is clear and ambitious for the scientific community to develop, with […]
A new tool developed in France allows farmers to adjust their farm work based on the reproduction periods of flowers and insects in their prairies. The name of the tool is Biotex, and it was developed through a partnership with the French National Institute for Agricultural Research, the Institute of Animal Husbandry (private institute of […]
A multi-criteria epidemiological study, led as part of the BioNutriNet project, cross-referenced the level of organic foods with different indicators of sustainability. Its results show that the food diet of people who consume large amounts of organic products is, taken as a whole, nutritionally more healthy, largely more beneficial to the environment, and reduces exposure […]
For the fourth consecutive year, the French Directorate General of Maritime and Aquaculture Fishing has launched a call for proposals, operated by the French agency FranceAgriMer. Open from April 1 until the end of May, this call for projects’ goal is to encourage the aquaculture industry in France to innovate and is open to businesses, […]
In order to come up with innovative solutions to the sustainable raising of goats, the French National Institute for Agricultural Research (INRA) and the Animal Husbandry Institute (IDELE) created a new research unit dedicated to the topic, called UMT SC3D. This unit will lead a research and development program over 5 years. This program aims […]
In late February, a report was officially published laying out the guidelines of the priority research program titled “Cultivate and Protect Differently.” Announced in July of 2018, this program will research methods of building an agricultural system that is better for the environment and human health, and will be funded with 30 million euros coming […]
A study conducted by the University Hospital of Besançon and the French National Institute for Agricultural Research, INRA, has demonstrated for the first time a link between the consumption of cheese at a young age and a lower probability of developing food or dermatological allergies later in life. This is regardless of other types of […]