Felix NOBLIA, a farmer researcher, settled in the Basque Country in mixed farming on the Larrous Farm! Felix is a pioneer of Conservation Organic Agriculture, which means that he reconciles organic agriculture and soil regeneration, in order to meet the challenges of carbon storage, water and biodiversity, but also health and taste in our plates. It is a good example of a conversion of a conventional farm to innovative and constantly improving practices.
The presentation of Félix Noblia by Reporterre :
"The "farmer-researcher Félix Noblia invented pesticide-free, no-till farming. After taking over his uncle's farm, Félix Noblia has changed the way the soil is worked. He launched experiments in agro-ecology in the hope of sowing the seeds of a renewal of the farming world. His farming practices meet the challenges of agro-ecology:socially equitable, storing carbon in the soil and preserving biodiversity, water resources and health. Feeding the soil to feed people by cooling the plant. This is the challenge of tomorrow's agriculture.
Urban agriculture is invading our cities, in various and sometimes surprising forms. The photographer Giovanni Del Brenna offers us here his travel diary, meeting the "Parisculteurs" of the capital, illustrating these new urban landscapes which are also human landscapes. The city is once again becoming a source of food, but also of social links, biodiversity, knowledge and reconnection.
A few plates from this collection:
The Urban Shepherds grazing in the Lumière des 4000 residence with the ewes of the Clinamen association for the social landlord Plaine Commune Habitat. La Courneuve. November 2018
Installation of planting boxes to test technosols (soils constructed from green waste from the city). AgroParisTech roof, Paris Ve. May 2017
Harvesting pastries on the roof of the Opéra Bastille. 1000 square meters of vegetable garden designed and operated by Topager. Paris XIIe. September 2018
Houdan's chickens at RATP headquarters are fed with leftovers from the canteen. Paris XII. June 2017
Les Houblonnières, a project designed and built by Topager and Mattia Paco Rizzi on a Keys Properties roof in Levallois. July 2017
Cultivation of organic chicory by the urban micro-farm La Caverne in the disused Raymond Queneau car park. Paris XVIIIth. November 2018
Production of organic oyster mushrooms in the urban farm La Caverne in the disused Raymond Queneau car park. Paris XVIIIe. November 2018
Vertical vegetable garden installed by METRO France and INFARM in the METRO warehouse in Nanterre, in hydroponics. April 2019
The RECYCLERY, located in a former railway station on the "petite ceinture" in Paris. Collaborative work and rehabilitation. April 2017.
Biodiversiterre 2017. A plant installation on 10,000 m2 Avenue Foch in Paris. Designed by the artist Gad Weil. Public awareness operation organised by the Mairie de Paris. June 2017
The association Fermes d'Avenir wishes to bring together, publicise and defend the interests of farms that are meeting the current agricultural and food challenges. Driven by the general interest, they allow to feeding the population with healthy and quality food (taste, maturity...), by preserving the planet's natural capital (water, soil, climate, biodiversity...) and by ensuring a viable, livable and resilient business for farmers.
The association proposes to farms that recognize themselves in our vision to be part of the Network of Farms of the Future"., a community of farms committed to an agroecological approach. This network aims to bring together all those who are committed to progress in agro-ecology, whether it be in the context of a new installation, a step-by-step reorientation of their farm or an already exemplary activity.
Our vision of agroecology :
The mission of Fermes d'Avenir is to accelerate the agricultural transition, by growing agroecological farms all over France.
But what is agroecology? Unlike organic farming, agroecology is not defined by any specifications, so it is not obvious which farm is agroecological and which is not. We simply define agroecological farms as farmsthat allow the population to be fed with healthy, high-quality food (taste, maturity, etc.), while preserving the planet's natural capital (water, soil, climate, biodiversity, etc.) and guaranteeing a viable, livable and resilient activity for farmers.
In order to present this vision and definition in an educational way, we have devised a "Flower of Agroecology which highlights the 12 major aspects of this type of production:
Biomimicry: an innovative approach for resilient territories
For several years, drawing on its experience with pioneering local authorities, Cerema has been helping to develop and evolve, in partnership, methods to assist in the emergence and design of projects. In 2019, with the help of the Dreal Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes innovation laboratory, it has formalised a "Different projects" approach, which proposes 5 principles to mobilise the resources of collective intelligence and resilience for the benefit of the project.
In this spirit, it has initiated and is engaged in collaborative research-action dedicated to territorial biomimicry. The ambition is to make this trend, which is inspired by life, a new art of designing projects for resilient territories.
This action research is part of a historical moment when the issues related to climate change and the collapse of biodiversity are making us aware that we are reaching our physical, natural and biological limits, with the irreversible degradation of resources.
Professor at the National Museum of Natural History (MNHN)AgroParisTech and ENS. Team "Genetic systems, adaptation & domestication "Laboratory: " Institute of Systematics, Evolution and Biodiversity MNHN-CNRS, UMR 7205, Department of "The Environment". Systematics & Evolution "
Pierre-Henri Gouyon is a geneticist and evolution specialist, born on 25 December 1953. He was admitted to Agro (Institut National Agronomique Paris-Grignon, now AgroParisTech) in 1972, became an agricultural engineer in 1975, obtained a post-graduate doctorate in ecology at the University of Montpellier in 1976, then obtained a doctorate in genetics from Agro in 1978, a doctorate in science from the University of Montpellier in 1982 and a DEA in Philosophy at the University of Letters of Montpellier in 1984.
Recruited as a teacher at Agro in 1976, he was a professor at the University of Paris-Sud (Orsay) from 1988 to 2005 and theÉcole Polytechnique from 1994 to 2008 (vice-chair of the Biology Department 2001-2006).
He has held various responsibilities on the Life Sciences Departmental Council of the CNRS (Deputy Scientific Director in 2000-2001). He has been a member of the CNRS operational committee for ethics in the life sciences, the National Council of Universities, the National Committee for Scientific Research, the ANR "Ecosystems and Sustainable Development" committee, the Scientific Council of the CNRS Jacques Monod Lectures and the INSERM ethics committee.
He lectures extensively on issues related to evolution, genetics, ecology, biodiversity and bioethics. He is widely involved in debates concerning science-society relations in general. More particularly, he is concerned on the one hand with the social consequences of the neo-Darwinian theory of evolution on our perception of living beings and on the other hand with the cultivation of transgenic plants (Grenelle in 2007, Citizens' Conference in 1998, Economic and Social Council in 2002, debates with members of parliament -French and European- and experts, the General Planning Commission, the Economic Analysis Council, conferences in various places in France and elsewhere -Italy, Ukraine, Romania, Tunisia, Denmark, Canada, USA, Japan, Ecuador, Bolivia...-interviews...). He belongs or has belonged to various national committees related to Science in Society issues (CNL, Biovigilance, Biomolecular Engineering Commission, Sustainable Development, Grenelle de l'Environnement, High Authority on GMOs, Scientific Council of CRIIGENVice President of Vivagora...) and was the rapporteur for Group 1 (Research & Society) to national research conferences from 2004. He chairs the Scientific Council of the Think-Tank of the Nicolas Hulot Foundation
He is a Knight of the Legion of Honour and of the Palmes Académiques.
He was awarded the American Society of Ecology's 2013 " William Skinner Cooper Award"He was awarded the "Grand Prix" by the French Society of Ecology in 2016 for the whole of his research work and for his involvement in questions of the relationship between science and society. He received the Radio France "Lire dans le noir" prize for his CD on evolution.
Thierry Dutoit is a research director at the CNRS within the Institut Méditerranéen de Biodiversité et Ecologie (IMBE), of which he is deputy director. His research focuses on coexistence processes and assembly rules in Mediterranean herbaceous plant communities.
Thierry Dutoit is particularly interested in the impacts of anthropogenic disturbances over the very long term via approaches that combine paleoecology and historical ecology. The results of his work are applied to ecological restoration or ecosystem rehabilitation, particularly via bio-inspiration, which involves the management of certain key species known as "ecosystem engineers", from bacteria to large herbivores.
In August 2009, a ruptured oil pipeline in the Crau plain in the Bouches-du-Rhône department caused hydrocarbon pollution in the heart of a national nature reserve. There, for the first time in the world, we experimented with the transplantation of harvester ant founding queens to accelerate the restoration of the soil and vegetation on the land that had been rehabilitated. Eight years later, our results show that this operation has really made it possible to increase soil fertility and accelerate the return of the steppe-like vegetation, unique in the world, which pre-existed where ant nests are present, thus making it possible to validate this bio-inspired process on an operational ecological engineering scale.
Useful resources and links :
Videos :
Report in the series Nature=Future / "Agronomic ants" / December 2019 /
M2i Life Sciences is an industrial player in the chemical industry, active in the animal and plant bio-control sector as well as in the field of human health. Biocontrol is the set of biological protection methods that replicate intra-species behaviours and natural mechanisms of regulation of bio-aggressors.
M2i Life Sciences is a world leader in pheromones for crop protection and animal health.
We master :
The synthesis of pheromonal molecules
The production of these pheromones from gram to ton
The formulation of these pheromones and the delivery systems
Design and production of finished products
We combine R&D know-how, a production plant and a manufacturing centre for finished products, which allows us to control the entire product development cycle and to integrate innovation at every stage of its design.
The intervention of Johann Fournil at Biomim'expo 2019 :
MYCOPHYTO was co-founded in 2017 by Justine LIPUMA, a doctor in microbiology, and Christine PONCET, an agricultural engineer. Spin off INRAE (INRA) and UCA (Université Côte d'Azur), it has received more than 12 awards since its creation.
MYCOPHYTO is to develop, produce and propose to agricultural professionals effective biological solutions by adapting scientific knowledge concerning mycorrhizal symbiosis.
MYCOPHYTO, an INRAE and UCA spin-off, integrates the latest knowledge from life sciences and technological innovations. The start-up has patented solutions for the implementation of native arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMFs) in crops to recreate sustainable natural synergies with plant roots.
MYCOPHYTO is based on a dynamic of key players including: world-renowned scientists, joint research structures, technical and training institutes and farmer ambassadors.
Biocontrol is the set of methods for protecting crops against pathogens by using natural organisms and/or substances.
The story: two long-time friends, a researcher and an agronomist, committed and experienced, with complementary profiles, founded Immunrise Biocontrol, a French and independent company which emanates from the Institute of Biology of the Ecole Normale Supérieure (IBENS, Paris). Their objective is to identify and develop non-GMO solutions drawn from nature to ensure the protection of our crops. The principle is to identify marine micro-organisms capable of either stimulating the natural defences of plants or acting directly on pathogens, limiting the development of disease on plants. Immunrise Biocontrol will therefore make it possible to improve the yield and quality of cultivated plants while reducing the use of synthetic pesticides.
Videos :
France 2 - Journal 13H le 28/01/2017
A young company in Bordeaux has discovered a microscopic algae that could be an alternative to pesticides. It is sometimes used in New Aquitaine in vineyards.
France 2 - 1pm news on 17/09/2017
Treating vines with algae instead of pesticides is the discovery of a young Bordeaux company. The first tests have proved conclusive.
ECOMNEWS - January 2017
Immunrise Biocontrol, based in Pessac, has discovered a micro-algae that produces molecules with promising bio-pesticidal properties. Interview with Laurent De Crasto, CEO of Immunrise and Alain Rousset, President of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine Region, during his visit to the start-up on 13 January.
Le Figaro A Bordeaux-based company discovers a promising bio-pesticide algae
Laurent de Crasto, co-founder of IMMUNRISE
Laurent de Crasto is an agricultural engineer specialising in viticulture and graduated from Sup Agro Montpellier. He worked at the Institut National de l'Origine et de la Qualité in Paris before co-founding two innovative industrial companies based in Bordeaux:
WIT France in 2007, specialised in small volume wine packaging (15 employees, €2m turnover in 2016)
In 2011, he co-founded VDLV (90 employees, €8m turnover in 2018) which develops E-liquids based on natural flavours, a leading company on the French market.
In 2012, he became a member and treasurer of Innovin, the New Aquitaine cluster for wine innovation.
In 2015, he created with Lionel Navarro the company ImmunizationImmunrise, specialised in the research and development of biotechnological solutions. In 2016, Immunrise's biocontrol subsidiary was created in Pessac, in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of France, and focuses its research on marine microorganisms to treat plants.
Immunrise aims to develop innovative biocontrol solutions for crop protection. The conceptual approach initiated by its founders at the time of its creation is to identify marine microorganisms of agronomic interest. This simple and direct approach required long and tedious research and selection of microorganism strains, which were carried out by Dr Navarro's laboratory, of which Immunrise is the spin-off.
M2i Life Sciences is an industrial player in the chemical industry, active in the animal and plant bio-control sector as well as in the field of human health. Biocontrol is the set of biological protection methods that replicate intra-species behaviours and natural mechanisms of regulation of bio-aggressors.
Ministry of Ecological Transition and Solidarity - Business and Environment Prize - M2i Life sciences, grand prize for "Innovation in technologies" for the green micro-encapsulation of pheromones for biological crop protection.
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