PROPUESTA AQUITECTONICA
42. Imaginario que muestra como se percibe y se aprecia la plaza
ESTELLE SERPOLAY-BESSON1,ANTONIN LERET2
1
ITAB, Domaine de la Motte, BP 35327, 35653 Le Rheu, France, http://www.itab.asso.fr, [email protected]
2 INRA SAD, Le Rheu, France
Key words: participative research, co-breeding, wheat, legumes, farmers’ empowerment
Summary: Blégu Poitou is a participative project of co-breeding of wheat and legumes. Farmers from Poitou-Charentes Region (West of France) are looking for cultivated diversity from specific and genetic points of view and set up experiments in their farms. This project allows empowerment of those farmers (they experiment by themselves, increase seed autonomy) as well as developing on farm research through focuses on certain questions. In 2014, the focus chosen is AMF and we show that they are more present on wheat when it is cultivated together with a legume. Such a project also reveals the importance of the symbiosis of the 3 types of stakeholders: farmers, animator and scientist.
Background
Considering that diversity at specific and genetic levels will bring crop efficiency, and also looking for seed autonomy, a group of organic and low input farmers from Poitou-Charentes Region in France asked research institute to build a participatory co-breeding project of wheat and legumes intercropping. Collaboration between 10 farmers of the association Cultivons la Biodiversité en Poitou-Charentes (CBD), the animator of the association and an engineer from the research team INRA-ITAB of Le Rheu started in 2010 in the framework of the European Research project SOLIBAM. This local project is called BléguPoitou and is based on a network of on farm trials. A challenge of this project is to manage a collective work with a great diversity of situations of farms systems and objectives.
Main chapter
Introduction: The farmers participating in the project Blégu Poitou are looking for genetically diversified wheat varieties (populations, dynamic populations…) adapted to co-cropping with legumes. They cultivate wheat and legumes for different uses (cash crop or animal feeding for example) and have different practices for co-cropping as well (sowing together wheat and legumes, sowing in the legume or sowing legume in the wheat). After a first year of common observations on a platform with different varieties, all the farmers started trials in their farms, building up a network of trials. The project is going on through collective moments of reflection and exchanges, managed by the animator of the association. The farm trials network allows the farmers’ empowerment on different aspects as well as it gives the possibility for focusing on punctual research questions of the farmers, as the impact of co-cropping on AMF in 2014.
Material and method: The project started by a platform of observation where about 30 genetically diversified varieties (populations, old varieties, dynamic populations and CCP) were cultivated in 2010. The farmers tried observations in order to be able to observe their future trials by themselves. At the end of this first year of observations, they chose some varieties to observe in their farms. Since then, they started multiplying and experimenting the varieties chosen with legumes according to their practices or whishes of experimentation. The network of trials is today much diversified in terms of varieties tested, legumes and practices. The table 1 below summarizes the continuity of the project.
Table 1: run of the BléguPoitou project
Trial design Realisations
Harvest 2011 Platform of diversity - one place - 30 varieties - 2 replicates
Collective observations at different stages (learning process of observation)
Choice of different varieties per farmer in order to experiment in its farm
Harvest 2012 Several varieties in each farm Very small plots
Seed multiplication
Field observations (farmers and animator) Harvest 2013 Several varieties in each farm
Larger plots than 2012 (and small plots for new varieties)
Seed multiplication and sometime selection Field observations (farmers and student) Management experimentation (different legumes) Harvest 2014 Several varieties in each farm
Larger plots than 2013 (and small plots for new varieties)
Common control population
Seed multiplication and sometime selection Field observations (farmers and student)
Management experimentation (different legumes, different soil management)
This year (2014), a research focus on AMF was done thanks to the common control sown in all the trials (decision of the farme different farms were chosen in order to answer various questions. In this paper, we will
AMF rate on wheat and thus its collaboration with soil”? We present here the results for 2 farmers (GT and JD). 10 root syste end of April on 2 modalities at each farmer: control (population called Carré de Crète) without co
alfalfa for JD). The root systems were colored and 10 roots per root system were observed in 2 points each in order to determ colonization. Presence or absence of hyphae, vesicles and arbuscules was observed and a global note of colonization of the AM 1=very scarce to 5=very important). The results of the observations are presented as percentages (of p
global colonization).
experiences). They have started adapting genetically diversified varieties to their systems and some farmers are already cult them. They also breed the varieties, creating their own mixtures according to the different varieties they observe in their fields. All thi increase their seed autonomy. When farmers develop such varieties as cash crops, commercialization might be a
qualities of these varieties (different protein and technological characteristics). This aspect, related to the economy of th dimension of the project.
space for farmers to exchange their experiences. But they are not sufficient. The role of the animator of the association is
contribute to make the link between the meetings, by visiting the farmers from time to time, reminding them for the observations… This makes another kind of result emerge: the importance of the symbiosis of the different competences of the 3 types of partners in such a part
animator and engineer.
This year (2014), a research focus on AMF was done thanks to the common control sown in all the trials (decision of the farme different farms were chosen in order to answer various questions. In this paper, we will focus on the question: “does co AMF rate on wheat and thus its collaboration with soil”? We present here the results for 2 farmers (GT and JD). 10 root syste
r: control (population called Carré de Crète) without co-cropping and control with legume (faba bean for GT and alfalfa for JD). The root systems were colored and 10 roots per root system were observed in 2 points each in order to determ
colonization. Presence or absence of hyphae, vesicles and arbuscules was observed and a global note of colonization of the AM
1=very scarce to 5=very important). The results of the observations are presented as percentages (of presence of the different AMF structures and % of
Results:
AMF 2014 first results: The graphs close by present the rates of presence of the AMF structures as well as the importance of AMF “invasion” at 2 farmers. Despite the difference of legume species of co cropping, we clearly see in the 2 cases that the wheat cultivated with a legume is more colonized by AMF (more hyphae, vesicles, arbuscules and global note of invasion). We will then correlate these results with yield and quality aspects and would also like to explore the effect of co breeding on the long term (do the plants “used”
legumes develop specific ability to interact with them through AMF, consequences for yield and quality?).
Farmers’ empowerment: Since the beginning of this participative project, we see a clear empowerment of the farmers on different aspects. First of all, they have learnt how to experiment in their own farms. Some of them have built elaborated trials and they realize some observations by themselves, allowing them to give an elaborated opinion on the varieties observed (all the observa
have been compiled in a report addressed to the farmers for sharing experiences). They have started adapting genetically diversified varieties to their systems and some farmers are already cult
o breed the varieties, creating their own mixtures according to the different varieties they observe in their fields. All thi increase their seed autonomy. When farmers develop such varieties as cash crops, commercialization might be a
qualities of these varieties (different protein and technological characteristics). This aspect, related to the economy of th
Discussion-perspectives
This participatory project is going-on on diverse aspects and has different types of outputs: empowerment of farmers as well as scientific studies thanks to the trials network built. This enables on farm research and development. One of the challenges of this project is to m collective project with individual trials. The participative organization set up with this purpose principally consists in 2 annual meetings with farmers, animator and engineer. One field meeting in June to discuss of the plants during the cycle and one “room meeting” in September to realize an assessment of the past cycle and to orientate collectively the new cycle. For example, adjustment of the observations, pointing out a specific research question we will focus on… These moments are important to keep the coherence of the group as well as for creating a space for farmers to exchange their experiences. But they are not sufficient. The role of the animator of the association is
tings, by visiting the farmers from time to time, reminding them for the observations… This makes another kind of result emerge: the importance of the symbiosis of the different competences of the 3 types of partners in such a part
This year (2014), a research focus on AMF was done thanks to the common control sown in all the trials (decision of the farmers). Different modalities on focus on the question: “does co-cropping with legumes increase AMF rate on wheat and thus its collaboration with soil”? We present here the results for 2 farmers (GT and JD). 10 root systems were harvested at the cropping and control with legume (faba bean for GT and alfalfa for JD). The root systems were colored and 10 roots per root system were observed in 2 points each in order to determine the importance of AMF colonization. Presence or absence of hyphae, vesicles and arbuscules was observed and a global note of colonization of the AMF was given too (from resence of the different AMF structures and % of
The graphs close by present the rates of presence of the AMF structures as well as the importance of AMF “invasion” at 2 farmers. Despite the difference of legume species of co- cropping, we clearly see in the 2 cases that the wheat cultivated with a
e is more colonized by AMF (more hyphae, vesicles, arbuscules and global note of invasion). We will then correlate these results with yield and quality aspects and would also like to explore the effect of co- breeding on the long term (do the plants “used” to be cultivated with legumes develop specific ability to interact with them through AMF, consequences for yield and quality?).
Since the beginning of this participative project, we see a clear empowerment of the farmers on different aspects. First of all, they have learnt how to experiment in their own farms. Some of them have built elaborated trials and they realize some observations by themselves, allowing them to give an elaborated opinion on the varieties observed (all the observations already available have been compiled in a report addressed to the farmers for sharing experiences). They have started adapting genetically diversified varieties to their systems and some farmers are already cultivating some hectares of o breed the varieties, creating their own mixtures according to the different varieties they observe in their fields. All this work contributes to increase their seed autonomy. When farmers develop such varieties as cash crops, commercialization might be a problem because of the different qualities of these varieties (different protein and technological characteristics). This aspect, related to the economy of the farm, will enlarge the
on on diverse aspects and has different types of outputs: empowerment of farmers as well as scientific studies thanks to the trials network built. This enables on farm research and development. One of the challenges of this project is to manage a collective project with individual trials. The participative organization set up with this purpose principally consists in 2 annual meetings with farmers, animator and engineer. One field meeting d one “room meeting” in September to realize an assessment of the past cycle and to orientate collectively the new cycle. For example, adjustment of the observations, pointing out a specific research question we will focus on… o keep the coherence of the group as well as for creating a space for farmers to exchange their experiences. But they are not sufficient. The role of the animator of the association is crucial because he/she will tings, by visiting the farmers from time to time, reminding them for the observations… This makes another kind of result emerge: the importance of the symbiosis of the different competences of the 3 types of partners in such a participative project: farmers,
Session B Poster B9