ONGOING PROJECTS

Foresight to build scenarios for sustainable, health-promoting food systems using microorganisms

Microorganisms have been used in food systems for millennia, for example in food fermentation. The development of scientific knowledge in the field of microbiomes has recently accelerated considerably, thanks in particular to high-throughput sequencing techniques. We now know that microorganisms are omnipresent in our environment, and that they play a major role in the health of soils, plants, animals, human beings and ecosystems in general. Thanks to their multiple functions, microbiomes are presented as potential solutions to the challenges posed by the development of sustainable food systems, from farm to fork. In particular, they could help replace or reduce the chemical inputs used in agriculture (pesticides, fertilizers), reduce the use of antibiotics in animal production, reduce food loss and waste, improve the taste of plant products through fermentation...

The aim of this foresight study is to build exploratory scenarios for sustainable, health-promoting European agricultural and food systems based on microorganisms. These scenarios will be based on contrasting hypotheses related to the evolution of the various components of the system under study, for example: production methods for microorganisms, their uses, consumer behavior, public policies and regulations, knowledge, techniques and innovations, etc. The final phase of the project will be dedicated to presenting and debating the scenarios with different audiences.

This project is supported by INRAE and by three programs: the INRAE Holoflux metaprogram, the “Ferments du Futur” Grand Challenge supported by INRAE and ANIA, and the “Food Systems, Microbiomes and Health” Priority Research Program and Equipment co-sponsored by Inserm and INRAE.

Nouveau projet européen STEP UP : Sustainable Livestock Systems Transition and Evidence Platform for Upgrading Policies

This european project brings together a consortium of 16 organizations from European Union countries (universities, research institutes and technical institutes), coordinated by the Irish agency TEAGASC. It responds to the HORIZON-CL6-2023-FARM2FORK-01-6 Research and Innovation call for tenders. STEP UP aims to produce a platform of quantified knowledge to promote the development of sustainable livestock production systems. It is intended to help European decision-makers by providing them with scientific data on the impacts and externalities of environmentally-friendly livestock production systems within the food system. Existing knowledge on the positive and negative impacts of European livestock production systems will be gathered following an analysis of scientific literature and public policies. Data gaps for assessing the sustainability of livestock production systems in various social and environmental contexts will be identified. An in-depth analysis of case studies will be carried out to harmonize existing data, identify deficits and opportunities for new data collection and system development. New indicators to assess the externalities of sustainable livestock systems, taking into account all relevant factors in the value chain, will be developed. The multi-stakeholder approach (MAA) will be used to obtain contextual reference points for these new indicators, followed by a comprehensive impact assessment and cost-benefit analysis, and a quantification of the costs and benefits of sustainable livestock systems.

As part of this program, the DEPE will be in charge of mapping existing forecasts on livestock issues on a national, regional (multi-national) or European scale, in order to identify the archetypal scenarios that this literature outlines. DEPE will also coordinate the construction of sustainability scenarios for European livestock farming up to 2050, which will then be assessed using relevant indicators.

Organics Targets 4EU : From farm to fork, processing scenarios to promote organic agriculture and aquaculture

Transformation scenarios to promote organic farming and aquaculture.
With the Farm to Fork (F2F) strategy, the EU has set itself the target of achieving at least 25% of EU farmland in organic farming and a significant increase in organic aquaculture by 2030. The OrganicTargets4EU project aims to help achieve these goals. Based on an assessment of the main drivers and bottlenecks affecting the development of the organic sector, the project will set up a multi-stakeholder process to create possible scenarios for achieving them.
Sur le site de la Commission Européenne (anglais) 

«Soil quality – Towards an indicator system for public policy»

This advanced study aims at identifying the parameters that can serve as indicators of soil quality. Against a backdrop of the growing awareness of the contribution made by soils to ecosystem services, and of the dangers associated with their degradation, scientists propose various conceptual frameworks for defining these indicators, based on criteria of quality, fertility, threat, health, safety, function, service, etc. Few studies have tested their application, or demonstrated how they operate in different contexts and different soil uses (agricultural, forest, urban, polluted soils). We do not currently have a global vision of needs, nor the soil quality indicators required to meet them.

This study establishes a state-of-the-art of scientific achievements grounding a soil quality indicator system. It highlights the conditions for its relevance and effectiveness, as well as the difficulties to overcome for implementation. It identifies the resources that can already be mobilized to better consider soil quality, and the research needed to reduce uncertainty and improve appropriation. 

INRAE - Ifremer advanced study on the impact of certified food products on biodiversity

This advanced study examines the effects of agricultural, aquaculture and fishing production practices for food products with labels (organic, PGI, MSC, sustainable fishing, red label, etc.) on biodiversity.  The study is consistent with the environmental labelling of food products which aims to provide consumers with information on the environmental characteristics of products on the market.
To date, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) seems to be the most appropriate and effective method for obtaining environmental indicators for food products. However, it is not sufficient to assess the impact of food consumption on biodiversity.

INRAE – CNRS collective scientific assessment on plastics used in agriculture and for food

This collective scientific assessment (CSA) aims to assess the state of scientific knowledge available on the uses of plastics in agriculture and for food, how they will evolve and the properties required according to these uses.
Plastics have been increasingly used since the 1950s, because of their many interesting properties. The agricultural and food sectors account for almost half of all plastics used in France. Since plastics are hardly, if at all, degradable and therefore very persistent in the environment, plastic waste accumulates throughout trophic chains.
The CSA will review the scientific literature to characterize the properties of these plastics according to their composition and over their life cycle. It will highlight their environmental impacts on terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, excluding marine aquatic ecosystems, and on health. It will analyze how the trade-offs between the properties expected of these plastics can be taken into account in an eco-design approach and in compliance with health standards. It will be based on a review of regulations, focusing on the European context for the use of plastics.