Resource management

The hypothesis of the massive development of organic agricul-ture is renewing the stakes concerning varieties, seeds and seedlings, and calling into question multi-disciplinary and par-ticipatory research on new fronts of science.

Nutrient management is a central element in the scaling-up of organic agriculture (OA), as nutrient availability is a limiting factor for agricultural production. The expansion of OA must therefore be accompanied by structural changes to improve nutrient management. Manure and organic waste are at the heart of several major levers aimed at optimizing the circularity of these nutrients.

Organic agriculture (OA) is limited by the availability of nutrient resources essential for plant growth.

Changes in scale of OA in terms of beekeeping still face many challenges: availability of organic food resources, control of biological pests (including Varroa), organic genetic beekeeping resources, etc. Genetic improvement is one of the levers used to address these challenges. It is important to determine how to select honeybees to meet the expectations of organic beekeepers and to evaluate the relevance of selection strategies specifically devoted to organic farming.

Within the context of major climatic uncertainties, the sustainable mobilization of feed resources for animals on ruminant farms is questioned in terms of quantity and quality. The use of new plant re-sources may prove to be one of the alternatives for sufficient and sustainable production in the future. The SourceN project explores the extent to which atypical resources from the natural capital of ruminant farms can be mobilized in terms of fodder supplementation and animal "health value" without compromising their sustainability and their role as habitats for biodiversity.

The expansion of organic agriculture (OA) may find itself confronted with a significant lack of nitrogen resources necessary to fertilize crops. This gap could be filled by increasing the area planted with nitrogen (N) fixing crops. However, the development of N-fixing crops crops is only viable if they have outlets on the market.

Whereas the demand for organic products is increasing, the development of organic pig production in Europe is slow compared to other animal and plant sectors. This project explores the hypothesis according to which pig farming could contribute to the development of organic agriculture by bolstering the optimization of processes and closing cycles at different levels of organization, from the animal to the territory. For example, the pig, in its capacity as an omnivore, is capable of recycling co-products that could not be recycled otherwise, and the fertilizing potential of its waste is of interest for soil and crop production. The obstacles to the development of organic pig farming have been well identified. On the other hand, the links between the different levels of organization require further study.