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International audience; Over the last few years, intensive agriculture has often been denounced as a source of negative effects, particularly at the environmental and health level (overexploitation of natural resources, degradation of their quality, appearance and development of several diseases, etc.). Reducing the excessive use of agricultural inputs for the protection of the environment and the preservation of human and animal health is a social requirement nowadays. Investing in more sustainable agricultural models which make it possible to reduce, or even eliminate the risks, has become urgent. A possible solution may be to resort to agroecological systems. In order to be sustainable, these new systems must be performant at the agronomic, economic, social, and environmental levels. There is a multitude of tools for assessing the sustainability of agricultural systems. These tools are inappropriate for organic and agroecological systems, and do not make it possible to measure the agroecological transition performance of farms (Trabelsi et al. Environ Sci Pollut Res 23:139–156, 2016; Trabelsi 2017). This research project aims to design a decision support tool in order to help farms throughout the agroecological transition process, to assess the performance of this transition, and to put forward improvement scenarios. Contrary to other assessment methods, ESSIMAGE (Evaluation and Simulation of Agroecological Systems) is based on both pressure and impact indicators, and takes the specificities of agricultural production systems into account. It is a dynamic tool which not only makes it possible to assess farm performance at the present moment but also to consider the future by putting forward possible alternative improvement scenarios and by simulating their consequences at a later stage. ESSIMAGE is based on the interaction of two elements: agro-environmental, social, and economic indicators, and the GIS (Geographic Information System) software. This tool has been tested as part of a CASDAR “Post-MAET Gimone” (agriculture.gouv.fr/ministere/mobilisation-collective-pour-lagroecologie.) project on the subject of “Collective mobilization for agroecology” by using farm data, most of the farms having been involved in an agro-environmental measure for the progressive reduction of phytosanitary treatments since 2008. It has made it possible to compare the agroecological performances of these farms with an optimal situation, as well as with each other. Considering the research objectives and the approaches discussed, this study is an original step in the development of agricultural management strategies in favor of agroecology.

The preservation of natural resources via the management of diffuse pollution is currently considered to be a significant challenge in France. Pollution reduction policies are notably based on the identification of vulnerable areas. In this context, our work aims to develop a method for characterizing the surface water vulnerability to phytosanitary pollution by implementing an interdisciplinary methodology combining geomatics, environmental science and agronomy. Such work consists in offering local stakeholders a decision support tool towards the participatory management of the diffuse pollution issue. This study is based on the geographic contribution of spatial analysis to the large-scale and high-definition identification of physical elements of the environment. It is also based on the study of agro-environmental indicators for the analysis of phytosanitary pressure on watercourses. The combination of these different data sources will make it possible to assess the vulnerability of diffuse pollution at a territorial level, by taking into account factors of agricultural pressure at plot level (crop types and phytosanitary practices), as well as factors of environmental sensitivity at watershed level (pedology, rainfall, topography, etc.). The results obtained will be mapped at plot level, then at the level of the Gimone watershed located in the southwest of France.

Au Mali, l’usage des pesticides sur la culture de coton constitue un réel problème de santé publique et pour l’environnement. Cette étude porte sur les risques potentiels correspondant à la « dangerosité » des matières actives présentes dans les pesticides distribués pour le coton. Nous avons recensé 174 pesticides homologués par le Comité sahélien des pesticides (CSP) destinés à la culture du coton, dont 106 insecticides et fongicides et 68 herbicides. Ils sont formulés à partir de 50 matières actives ; 10 sont interdites en Europe et se retrouvent dans 35 produits homologués (soit 20 % des produits disponibles). Un indice de risque de toxicité (IRT) sur la santé des utilisateurs a été calculé pour chacune des 50 matières actives tenant compte de leurs toxicités aiguë et chronique. Il montre que la pendiméthaline et la bifenthrine ont les IRT les plus élevés respectivement pour les herbicides et les insecticides. Un indicateur de contamination des sols et des eaux de surface et souterraine par ces matières actives a été calculé. Il montre qu’une matière active peut présenter un risque important pour la santé et avoir un fort niveau de toxicité pour l’environnement ou avoir un faible impact sur la santé mais présenter un risque élevé pour l’environnement. Une sensibilisation des différents acteurs sur les risques encourus par les pesticides permettrait de réduire leurs impacts sur la santé humaine et l’environnement.

International audience; Faced with health, environmental, and socio-economic issues related to the heavy use of pesticides, diffuse phytosanitary pollution becomes a major concern shared by all the field actors. These actors, namely the farmers and territorial managers, have expressed the need to implement decision support tools for the territorial management of diffuse pollution resulting from the plant protection practices and their impacts. To meet these steadily increasing requests, a cartographic analysis approach was implemented based on GIS which allows the spatialization of the diffuse pollution impacts related to plant protection practices on the Etang de l’Or catchment area in the South of France. Risk mapping represents a support-decision tool that enables the different field actors to identify and locate vulnerable areas, so as to determine action plans and agri-environmental measures depending on the context of the natural environment. This work shows that mapping is helpful for managing risks related to the use of pesticides in agriculture by employing indicators of pressure (TFI) and risk on the applicator’s health (IRSA) and on the environment (IRTE). These indicators were designed to assess the impact of plant protection practices at various spatial scales (field, farm, etc.). The cartographic analysis of risks related to plant protection practices shows that diffuse pollution is unequally located in the North (known for its abundant garrigues and vineyards) and in the South of the Etang de l’Or catchment area (the Mauguio-Lunel agricultural plain known for its diversified cropping systems). This spatial inequity is essentially related to land use and agricultural production system. Indeed, the agricultural lands cover about 60% of the total catchment area. Consequently, this cartographic analysis helps the territorial actors with the implementation of strategies for managing risks of diffuse pollution related to pesticides use in agriculture, based on environmental and socio-economic issues and the characteristics of the natural environment.

International audience; The health, environmental and socio-economic issues related to the massive use of plant protection products are a concern for all the stakeholders involved in the agricultural sector. These stakeholders, including farmers and territorial actors, have expressed a need for decision-support tools for the management of diffuse pollution related to plant protection practices and their impacts. To meet the needs expressed by the public authorities and the territorial actors for such decision-support tools, we have developed a technical-economic model “OptiPhy” for risk mitigation based on indicators of pesticide toxicity risk to applicator health (IRSA) and to the environment (IRTE), under the constraint of suitable economic outcomes. This technical-economic optimisation model is based on linear programming techniques and offers various scenarios to help the different actors in choosing plant protection products, depending on their different levels of constraints and aspirations. The health and environmental risk indicators can be broken down into sub-indicators so that management can be tailored to the context. This model for technical-economic optimisation and management of plant protection practices can analyse scenarios for the reduction of pesticide-related risks by proposing combinations of substitution PPPs, according to criteria of efficiency, economic performance and vulnerability of the natural environment. The results of the scenarios obtained on real ITKs in different cropping systems show that it is possible to reduce the PPP pressure (TFI) and reduce toxicity risks to applicator health (IRSA) and to the environment (IRTE) by up to approximately 50 %.

International audience; The use of plant protection products enables farmers to maximize economic performance and yields, but in return, the environment and human health can be greatly affected because of their toxicity. There are currently strong calls for farmers to reduce the use of these toxic products for the preservation of the environment and the human health, and it has become urgent to invest in more sustainable models that help reduce these risks. One possible solution is the transition toward agroecological production systems. These new systems must be beneficial economically, socially, and environmentally in terms of human health. There are many tools available, based on a range of indicators, for assessing the sustainability of agricultural systems on conventional farm holdings. These methods are little suitable to agroecological farms and do not measure the performance of agroecological transition farms. In this article, we therefore develop a model for the strategic definition, guidance, and assistance for a transition to agroecological practices, capable of assessing performance of this transition and simulating the consequences of possible changes. This model was built by coupling (i) a decision-support tool and a technico-economic simulator with (ii) a conceptual model built from the dynamics of agroecological practices. This tool is currently being tested in the framework of a Compte d’Affectation Spéciale pour le Développement Agricole et Rural (CASDAR) project (CASDAR: project launched in 2013 by the French Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Forestry, on the theme “collective mobilisation for agroecology,” http://​agriculture.​gouv.​fr/​Appel-a-projets-CASDAR) using data from farms, most of which are engaged in agroenvironmental process and reducing plant protection treatments since 2008.

Jusqu’aux annees 2000 en Tunisie, les services de l’Etat geraient les ressources en eau sans aucune concertation avec les usagers. Localement, cette gestion etait confiee aux commissariats regionaux de developpement agricole (CRDA). Depuis, l’Etat tunisien a decide d’impliquer les agriculteurs dans cette gestion locale. Il encourage le regroupement des agriculteurs au sein de groupements de developpement agricole (GDA), interlocuteurs des CRDA pour la gestion de l’eau. Avec ce dispositif, le CRDA doit prendre en compte les demandes des agriculteurs, regroupes dans le GDA, et en retour, ces derniers doivent prendre conscience que la ressource est partagee et qu’il est dangereux de la surexploiter. Comment GDA et CRDA peuvent-ils construire cette gestion concertee ? Dans cet article, nous presentons un jeu de simulation, construit a la demande d’agents du CRDA de Kairouan pour reflechir a une gestion concertee de la ressource en eau dans un petit bassin-versant typique de Tunisie centrale. Notre objectif etait d’utiliser ce jeu pour sensibiliser, d’un cote, les agriculteurs au necessaire partage de la ressource, notamment en periode de penurie, et aux risques engendres par sa surexploitation, et, d’un autre cote, les agents du CRDA aux determinants des usages de l’eau a l’origine des demandes. Ce jeu repose sur une representation du fonctionnement hydrologique du bassin et des diverses exploitations agricoles qui exploitent la ressource en eau avec plusieurs modalites d’acces. Une seance de simulation a ete organisee avec les agriculteurs du GDA concerne, mais sans les agents du CRDA, car de fortes tensions les opposaient. Cet echec partiel conforte la necessite, dans les approches participatives fondees sur les jeux, d’entretenir la motivation des acteurs tout au long du processus.

International audience; In North African countries, irrigation considerably increases production. Given the run-down condition of irrigation equipment, the rehabilitation and modernization of irrigation schemes is a topical question. In addition, some irrigation projects are currently being implemented thus requiring investments, and judicious decisions have to be taken. At the same time farms in North Africa are increasingly confronted with environmental constraints and held accountable for environmental practices. This article proposes an approach to simultaneously take into account the technical, agricultural, economic and environmental objectives at the farm level, considered to be a relevant decision unit. Such indicators enable pertinent comparisons of different water management strategies in private, public and mixed systems. A method is proposed for the calculation of performance indicators from the plot to the farm level. The indicators enable the performance of irrigated systems to be compared in terms of both effectiveness and efficiency. A graphic representation of the indicators enables the synthetic analysis of the results for a given farm thereby making it possible to highlight the weakness of the production system. The method is applied to two farms in the Gharb area in Morocco and two farms in the Mitidja plain in Algeria.; L’irrigation au Maghreb engendre une forte croissance de la production. La réhabilitation et la modernisation des périmètres irrigués est un sujet d’actualité étant donné les sérieux problèmes liés au défaut d’équipement. Différents projets d’irrigation voient le jour requérant à la fois des investissements coûteux et l’adoption de judicieuses options de la part des décideurs. Dans ce contexte, des indicateurs de performance sont nécessaires aux gestionnaires de l’eau. Ces indicateurs permettent de comparer de fac ¸on pertinente des stratégies de gestion de l’eau dans des régions différentes. L’approche proposée ici rend possible la comparaison entre système privé, système public et système mixte concernant l’accession à la ressource en eau. Ces indicateurs de performance sont analysés selon quatre points de vue : hydraulique, agricole, économique et environnemental. Une méthode est proposée pour calculer ces indicateurs depuis la parcelle jusqu’à l’exploitation. Ces indicateurs caractérisent les performances des systèmes irrigués à la fois en termes d’efficacité et d’efficience. Une représentation graphique de ces indicateurs donne lieu à une analyse synthétique pour une exploitation donnée. Il est alors possible de mettre en évidence l’origine de la faiblesse d’un système de production. Une application est ensuite proposée sur deux exploitations du Gharb au Maroc et deux exploitations de la plaine de la Mitidja en Algérie.

International audience; Until the 2000s, water resources in Tunisia were managed solely by government bodies without any consultation with water users. At the local level, Commissariats Régionaux de Développement Agricole [Regional Agricultural Development Committees (CRDAs)], which represented the government bodies, managed water resources. The Tunisian Government then decided to involve farmers in the local management of water resources by creating Agricultural Development Associations (GDAs). Water resource management by CRDAs must now take into account water demand from farmers belonging to GDAs and, in return, farmers must acknowledge water scarcity and accept the need for resource-sharing. How can CRDAs and GDAs work towards cooperative water management? In this paper, we present a simulation game requested by officials at the Kairouan CRDA in order to develop cooperative management of the water resources in a typical small watershed in central Tunisia. Our aim was to use the game to increase both farmers' awareness of water resource-sharing, scarcity, and the impact of overexploitation, and CRDA officials' awareness of different uses that determine water demands. The game is based on a hydrological model of the watershed and an agro-economic model of farming systems that use water resources for irrigation.

Title : From a supply policy to a demand management : a hydrous revolution in the Mediterranean area.Abstract : The Mediterranean territory, and particularly its eastern and southern shores, has to face a serious water shortage added to irregular rainfall patterns. In order to overcome this double difficulty, supply policies have been conducted for a long time; but they come up against limits, as well on the technical, economic, geopolitical, political levels, as on the environmental one. Thus, after having massively raised the resource, a second hydraulic revolution, based on the management of the demand, occurs., L'aire méditerranéenne, particulièrement les rives orientale et méridionale, est exposée à un déficit des ressources en eau doublé d'une grande variabilité des précipitations. Afin de pallier ces difficultés, des politiques de l'offre sont menées depuis longtemps, mais celles-ci se heurtent à des limites de tous ordres : technique, économique, géopolitique, politique et environnemental. Ainsi, après la mobilisation massive de la ressource, une deuxième révolution hydraulique, basée sur la gestion de la demande, est à l'œuvre.

The aim of this study is to develop simplified tools and methods in collaboration with local stakeholders to facilitate collective decision-making. The project is based on a series of experiments carried out between farmers and environmental officers and researchers (Aquae Project) 1 on the Aveyron-Lere catchment area. Within this framework

For many countries, food security is the biggest challenge facing agriculture, while ensuring environmental sustainability. Sustainable intensification of production and preventing crop losses are key element to increase production and ensure their consistency, massive inputs (fertilizers, pesticides) use is most often the easiest and the safe solution in the short term. These intensification practices resulting sometimes in increasing excessive consumption of fertilizers and pesticides have a negative impact in both environment and human health, which today pose the problem of the sustainability of these production methods. Ensuring food security through process intensification and environmental sustainability seem to be in opposition. The impact on the environment and human health from the intensification of agricultural practices with the increase in using chemicals has carry civil society and governments to query the sustainability of this development system and to question the scientific community to provide other types of production for sustainable development. How to build sustainable systems of agricultural production in the territories, while responding to the objectives of increased production to ensure an acceptable level of food security. This question as part of climate change today has become central to policy makers. Agriculture is associated to the concept of territory, environmental sustainability to a collective problem; modify the parameters for the formulation of public policy actions. We must now build integrated management approaches and collective agriculture in these territories, taking into consideration the local stakeholders, the potentialities and the specifications of the physical environment. To build a collective project, it is crucial to understand the representations that users and stakeholders in the management and the ecosystem uses should be done in dynamics and interactions between rules of practice and behavior of local actors. What tools and methods must implement policy-makers in the territories to meet these goals? The framework is at the interface of different scientific fields; agronomy, geography and economics. A model of the operation planning as an instrument of support for the dialogue seems to be appropriate for such approach; possible to simulate different alternatives and allow viewpoints. The first part of the thesis will focus on a literature review of existing instruments and methods in this area, particularly in terms of indicators of characterization and alternative solutions in terms of production. The choice in terms of generic method is oriented on elaborating of tools in spatially, collective and interactive simulation. The goal is to build a method for developing an agricultural strategic planning to allow the basis of a territorial public policy. The field of application will be the Bekaa region in Lebanon, which is an intensive farming area in Lebanon, and contributing very significantly to agricultural production in Lebanon., Pour de nombreux pays, la sécurité alimentaire est le défi majeur que l’agriculture doit relever, tout en assurant la durabilité environnementale. L’intensification durable de la production et la prévention des pertes de récoltes sont des éléments clés pour augmenter les productions et garantir leur régularité, l’utilisation massive d’intrants (Engrais, pesticides) est le plus souvent la solution la plus facile et la sure à court terme. Ces pratiques d’intensification entrainant des consommations parfois excessives d’engrais et de produits phytosanitaires ont un impact négatif sur l’environnement et la santé, ce qui pose aujourd’hui le problème de la durabilité de ces modes de production. Assurer la sécurité alimentaire par des processus d’intensification et la durabilité environnementale semblent être alors en opposition. Les conséquences sur l’environnement et la santé humaine de l’intensification des pratiques agricoles avec l’utilisation croissante de produits chimiques ont amené la société civile, et les pouvoirs publics à s’interroger sur la pérennité de ce système de développement et à interroger le monde scientifique pour proposer d’autres modes de production permettant un développement durable. Comment mettre en place des systèmes de production agricole durables dans les territoires, tout en répondant aux objectifs d’accroissement de la production pour assurer un niveau acceptable de sécurité alimentaire. Cette question aujourd’hui, s’inscrivant dans un contexte de changement climatique est devenue centrale pour les responsables des politiques. L’agriculture est associée à la notion de territoire, la durabilité environnementale à une problématique collective, ce qui modifie les paramètres de formulation des actions de politiques publiques. Il faut aujourd’hui construire des démarches de gestion intégrées et collectives de l’agriculture dans ses territoires, en prenant en compte les acteurs locaux et les potentialités et les spécificités de l’environnement physique. Pour construire un projet collectif, il est donc nécessaire de comprendre les représentations que les usagers et parties prenantes dans la gestion et l’utilisation de l’écosystème se font de sa dynamique et des interactions entre règles d’usages et comportements des acteurs locaux. Quels outils et méthodes doivent mettre en place les décideurs dans les territoires pour répondre à ces objectifs ? Le cadre de travail se situe à l’interface de différents champs scientifiques ; agronomie, géographie et économie. Une modélisation du fonctionnement du territoire comme instrument de support au dialogue semble être appropriée pour une telle démarche ; devant permettre de simuler différentes alternatives et de permettre des regards croisés. La première partie de la thèse va s’attacher à une revue de littérature des instruments et méthodes existant dans ce domaine, notamment en termes d’indicateurs de caractérisation et de solutions alternatives en terme de production. Le choix en terme de méthode générique s’oriente pour l’instant vers l’élaboration d’outils de simulation spatialisés, collectifs et interactifs. L’objectif est de pouvoir construire une méthode d’élaboration de plans stratégiques agricoles permettant de poser les fondements d’une politique publique territorialisée. Le terrain d’application sera la région de la Bekaa au Liban , qui est une zone d’intensification agricole au Liban, et contribuant de manière très importante à la production agricole du Liban.

The use of plant protection products enables farmers to maximize economic performance and yields, but in return, the environment and human health can be greatly affected because of their toxicity. There are currently strong calls for farmers to reduce the use of these toxic products for the preservation of the environment and the human health, and it has become urgent to invest in more sustainable models that help reduce these risks. One possible solution is the transition toward agroecological production systems. These new systems must be beneficial economically, socially, and environmentally in terms of human health. There are many tools available, based on a range of indicators, for assessing the sustainability of agricultural systems on conventional farm holdings. These methods are little suitable to agroecological farms and do not measure the performance of agroecological transition farms. In this article, we therefore develop a model for the strategic definition, guidance, and assistance for a transition to agroecological practices, capable of assessing performance of this transition and simulating the consequences of possible changes. This model was built by coupling (i) a decision-support tool and a technico-economic simulator with(ii) a conceptual model built from the dynamics of agroecological practices. This tool is currently being tested in the framework of a Compte d’Affectation Spéciale pour le Développement Agricole et Rural (CASDAR) project (CASDAR: project launched in 2013 by the French Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Forestry, on the theme Bcollective mobilisation for agroecology,^ http://agriculture.gouv.fr/ Appel-a-projets-CASDAR) using data from farms, most of which are engaged in agroenvironmental process and reducing plant protection treatments since 2008.; L’utilisation de produits phytosanitaires permet de maximiser les performances économiques et productives, mais en contrepartie, l’environnement et la santé humaine peuvent être fortement affectés du fait de leur toxicité. La réduction de l'utilisation de ces produits toxiques pour la conservation de l’environnement et la préservation de la santé humaine est aujourd’hui une demande sociale et il est devenu urgent d’investir dans des modèles plus durables permettant de diminuer voire supprimer les risques. Une solution peut être la transition vers des systèmes de production agroécologique. Pour qu’ils soient durables, ces nouveaux systèmes doivent être performants sur les échelles économique, sociale, environnementale et sanitaire. Une multitude d’outils d’évaluation de la durabilité des systèmes agricoles, basés sur un ensemble d’indicateurs, existe pour les exploitations conventionnelles. Ces méthodes sont peu adaptées aux exploitations agroécologiques, et ne permettent pas de mesurer la performance de transition agroécologique des exploitations agricoles. Dans cet article, nous concevons un modèle de définition stratégique, de pilotage et d’accompagnement du processus de transition agroécologique permettant d’évaluer la performance de cette transition et de simuler les conséquences de modifications possibles. Ce modèle est construit sur le couplage entre i) un outil d'aide à la décision; un simulateur technico-économique et ii) un modèle conceptuel construit à partir de la dynamique du comportement agroécologique. Cet outil est testé dans le cadre d’un projet CASDAR en utilisant des données d’exploitations agricoles dont la plupart sont engagées dans une démarche Agro-environnementale de réduction progressive des traitements phytosanitaires depuis 2008.