GX5F95AE

3076

6 avril 2021 17:41

7 avril 2021 12:01

Apple production is among the most intensively sprayed productions. Orchards' design usually targets productivity rather than autonomy and reproducibility. However, as perennial and multistrata systems, orchards create complex design opportunities to promote natural regulation processes and to address sustainability issues. Besides, there are specific expectations from the food-chain and the consumers for technical, aesthetical and nutritional qualities of fresh fruits. The whole society is more and more concerned with high pesticides use and its incidence on life quality (human and animal health, biodiversity, water). Therefore, an integrative approach of both agroecosystem and food-chain level has been chosen. To combine the diversity of interpretations and knowledge required to (re)design sustainable orchards, we developed an innovative participatory approach with fruit producers, advisors and agricultural scientists. It relies upon (i) expertbased knowledge to settle the objectives and properties of sustainable orchards; (ii) co-design of candidate models and (iii) ex-ante evaluation. After four years of group-functioning, we hereafter introduce major findings. First, the design of sustainable orchards entails to consider diversity, both among and within candidate models. Most of existing innovative and impressive experiences (e.g. association of animal and fruit productions) have been identified in organic or low-input commercial orchards. Key-elements for design purposes were discussed and included in a framework to design candidate prototypes. Second, a sustainable orchard appears as a dynamic entity adapting to global change and progressing towards 'higher resilience'. Methodological issues for simultaneous conception-evaluation process of prototyped systems were outlined and different tools were explored. To conclude, both diversity and dynamics of orchard models are key elements to sustain productivity and reproducibility. The most promising co-designed prototypes are now to be evaluated in various contexts covering Northern to Southern contexts of Europe within a follow-up project still to initiate.

None

• AB - Spécifique
• CRA-W
• FREDO durabilité
• FREDO environnement
• farming system design
• GEO Belgique
• GEO Espagne
• GEO Europe
• GEO France
• GEO Wallonie
• low input
• arboriculture
• expert
• fruit
• fruit production
• knowledge
• mode based design
• orchard
• participatory approach
• pomme
• verger

January 1, 2012

1 janvier 2012