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Débattre des transitions pour reconcevoir les formations : Retour réflexif sur une démarche de mobilisation dans l’enseignement supérieur et ses impasses
No full textInternational audienceThis article takes stock of actions carried out between 2022 and 2023 in a higher education institution with the aim of mobilizing teachers and students to reflect on ways of adapting training to the challenges of the Anthropocene. The two authors analyse their initiatives in the light of concepts from the sociology of mobilisation, as well as research on public participation in democracy. Drawing on work devoted to the institutionalisation of participation, they distinguish between those initiatives that are part of a “conventional participation” (creation of a Transitions working group, a large-scale survey of engineering students) and those linked to “unconventional participation” (an article published in a national media), this choice aimed at involving a wider range of players and broadening the scale of the debate (from local to national). Ultimately, the national mobilization expected failed by lack of resources and of pre-existing social networks between the various protagonists while a process of transformation of teaching content and situations got underway in small steps, in the absence of clearly established governance structures to support them.Cet article fait le bilan d’actions menées entre 2022 et 2023 dans un établissement d’enseignement supérieur en vue de mobiliser enseignants et étudiants autour d’une réflexion d’ensemble sur les façons d’adapter les formations aux défis de l’anthropocène. Les deux auteures analysent leur portage d’initiatives à la lueur des concepts de la sociologie des mobilisations et des recherches sur la participation du public en démocratie. En s’appuyant plus spécialement sur les travaux consacrés à l’institutionnalisation de la participation, elles distinguent parmi les initiatives impulsées celles qui relèvent d’une « participation conventionnelle » (création d’un groupe de travail Transitions, large sondage auprès des élèves-ingénieurs) et celles liées à une « participation non conventionnelle » (tribune publiée dans un média national et soumise à signature), ce choix étant destiné à impliquer un nombre plus étendu d’acteurs et à élargir l’échelle du débat, du local au national. In fine, la faiblesse des ressources et la quasi-absence de réseaux de sociabilité préexistants entre les différents protagonistes conduisent à un échec de la mobilisation nationale, tandis qu’un processus de transformation des contenus et des situations d’enseignement s’enclenche à petits pas, en l’absence de modes de gouvernance clairement établis pour leur accompagnement
Food Security and Weather Events: A Multidimensional Analysis in the West African Sahel for 2001–2017
No full textInternational audienceThis paper analyzes the climatic factors that affected food security in the West African Sahel in 2001–2017. We estimate the impact of droughts and floods on the four dimensions of food security defined by the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations, based on a panel data model controlling for socioeconomic and political factors. Droughts and floods negatively affect food security with floods causing more damage. Since socioeconomic and political factors, especially conflicts, also play an important role, food security in the West African Sahel cannot be explained only by climatic problems, so that coordinated policies must be based on the four dimensions of food security
Changes of faecal bacterial communities and microbial fibrolytic activity in horses aged from 6 to 30 years old
No full textInternational audienceHorse owners and veterinarians report that from the age of 15, their horses can lose body condition and be more susceptible to diseases. Large intestinal microbiome changes may be involved. Indeed, microbiota is crucial for maintaining the condition and health of herbivores by converting fibres into nutrients. This study aimed to compare the faecal microbiome in horses aged from 6 to 30 years old (yo), living in the same environment and consuming the same diet, in order to assess whether the parameters changed linearly with age and whether there was a pivotal age category. Fifty horses were selected from the same environment and distributed across four age categories: 6–10 (n = 12), 11–15 (n = 11), 16–20 (n = 13), and 21–30 (n = 14) yo. All horses had no digestive problems, had teeth suitable for consuming their feed, and were up to date with their vaccination and deworming programmes. After three weeks of constant diet (ad libitum hay and 860 g of concentrate per day), one faecal sample per horse was collected on the same day. The bacterial communities’ richness and intra-sample diversity were negatively correlated with age. There was a new distribution of non-beneficial and beneficial taxa, particularly in the 21–30 yo category. Although the faecal concentration of short-chain fatty acids remained stable, the acetate proportion was negatively correlated with age while it was the opposite for the proportions of butyrate, valerate, and iso-valerate. Additionally, the faecal pH was negatively correlated with age. Differences were more pronounced when comparing the 6–10 yo and 21–30 yo categories. The values of the parameters studied became more dispersed from the 16–20 yo category onwards, which appeared as a transitional moment, as it did not differ significantly from the younger and older categories for most of these parameters. Our data suggest that the microbiome changes with age. By highlighting the pivotal age of 16–20, this gives the opportunity to intervene before individuals reach extremes that could lead to pathological conditions
Applying assessment methods to diversified farming systems: Simple adjustment or complete overhaul?
No full text1International audienceHighlights: • Diversified farming systems use agrobiodiversity in space and time to generate ecological processes replacing external inputs. • We discuss the main methodological challenges involved in assessing diversified farming systems. • We question the reference framework and indicators used and their spatial and temporal extents. • We recommend in-depth reflection about the reference systems or thresholds chosen for interpretation. • We recommend a complete overhaul of the methods used to assess diversified farming systems.Abstract: In response to criticism of current specialized and input-intensive agriculture, diversified farming systems (DFS) have increased in popularity. The most advanced forms of DFS include perennial components (e.g., perennial crops, trees), functionally different plants and livestock, and landscape heterogeneity. These characteristics make it more difficult to assess DFS in agricultural sciences, which have focused to date mainly on low-diversity systems. We provide an overview of the main methodological issues involved in assessing DFS, and their potential solutions. We identify five key methodological challenges for assessing DFS: i) combining conceptual frameworks from different disciplines to develop a holistic view of DFS multi-performance; ii) characterizing DFS structure from a functional perspective to define the relevant spatial extent to assess them; iii) considering DFS ontogeny i.e. the time required for DFS to establish, reach maturity and achieve a dynamic steady state when assessing their performance; iv) aggregating and mapping multiple performance indicators to integrate the range of products and services generated by DFS and to reveal potential synergies and antagonisms; v) defining and characterizing the reference systems used to compare DFS, as systems might differ in history, composition, management, soil-climate, and sociotechnical conditions. These challenges underline the need to overhaul assessments in agricultural sciences (e.g., agronomy, animal science, economics, ecology) to identify whether, and under what conditions, DFS are relevant and sustainable options for farmers. They also come with available options for researchers to proceed with this overhaul.Graphical abstract: https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0308521X24000957-ga1.jp
Sonoprocessing coupled to spray drying as a novel strategy to encapsulate bioactive compounds from acerola pomace extract into Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells
No full textInternational audienceThis study evaluates the encapsulation of phytoactives from acerola (Malpighia emarginata) pomace extract (APE) into Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells via sonoprocessing coupled to spray drying (SPSD process). The effect of acoustic energy density (AED; 0–333.3 W/L), APE pH (3–11), and spray drying inlet temperature (T; 150–190 °C) on the encapsulation efficiency (EE) and yield (EY) of phenolic compounds and anthocyanins were investigated through a Box–Behnken experimental design (BBD). Results demonstrated that maximized EEs (> 63%) and EYs (> 126.7 mg/100 g) were obtained using the highest AED (333.3 W/L) and alkaline APE (pH 11), while the optimal T was set at 170 °C. Likewise, these process conditions also enhanced the antioxidant activity of biocapsules which positively correlated with the concentration of yeast encapsulated phytoactives by SPSD. Overall, our results demonstrate the versatility of SPSD protocol for manufacturing bioactive-enriched yeast biocapsules using complex mixtures of phytoactives. Further, it presents an innovative and sustainable roadmap for the management and repurposing of agri-food byproducts such as acerola pomace and other secondary streams of the food industry
Ṇitrogen footprint of Korean beef cattle farms: Scenarios toward more sustainable production
No full textInternational audienceNitrogen (N) lost during beef cattle production accompanies various environmental risks and has become a rising concern among agricultural stakeholders. The objective of this study was to quantify the N footprint of producing Hanwoo beef cattle, which is a Korean indigenous breed of cattle, in Korea at the farm gate through a life cycle assessment approach. Field surveys were conducted on 106 farms across 9 provinces to identify regional distinctions in farming systems and evaluate total N losses from beef production. N losses were calculated using emission factors from the refined IPCC guidelines, which were then expressed as N footprint (g N/kg of live body weight (LBW)). Uncertainty and sensitivity analyses were deployed to evaluate the precision of the results and identify factors that contributed to the output. The N footprint averaged 132.7(± 61.8) g N/kg LBW and varied between provinces according to animal categories, manure management systems, land use and fertilizer application rates. Volatilization was the highest contributing factor, followed by leaching and denitrification, each representing 68.5, 21.4, and 10.1 percent of the N footprint, respectively. The uncertainty of the result was found to be 46.6 percent and was highly associated with emission factor uncertainties. We devised five mitigation scenarios that are cost effective and do not penalize productivity and evaluated their capacity for reducing N footprint: (i) dietary modifications to decrease animal N excretion rate; (ii) microorganism additives to reduce volatilization from housing; (iii) manure storages recycling manure within the farm to replace synthetic fertilizers; (iv) distributing biochar to the field after fertilizer application to curtail losses from crop production; (v) combination of i, ii, iii, and iv. Combining these scenarios demonstrated the potential to reduce 12.1 percent of the total N footprint. The extents of mitigation scenarios varied across provinces (ranging from 5.2 to 21.7 percent) and were shown to be contingent on feeding practices and type of crop cultivated. Overall, our study provides a national metric that can be utilized to communicate the environmental impacts of Korean beef production. The analyses indicate that more precise results could be achieved with future endeavors towards developing country-specific emission factors. The mitigation potentials of the presented scenarios propose possibilities for feasible and sustainable beef production in Korea
Effect of polymer structure on the functional properties of alginate for film or coating applications
No full textInternational audienceThis study aimed to characterize the effect of molecular weight (MW) and mannuronic/guluronic acids ratio (M/G) on the functional properties of four different alginate types, considering both the aqueous film-forming solutions (rheological and interfacial properties) and the self-standing films (mechanical and barrier properties). Regarding the film-forming solutions, a structure-dependent effect was clearly disclosed with respect to the flow properties. The high MW alginates showed greater values of apparent viscosity and a more pronounced shear-thinning behavior than low MW alginates. Surprisingly, the corresponding alginate films did not exhibit any significant difference in terms of Young modulus (approximate to 1.9 GPa), elongation at break (approximate to 8.4 %) and tensile strength (approximate to 42.5 MPa), as well as oxygen and water vapor permeances (P-O2 approximate to 7.0 center dot 10(-15) mol. m(-2).s(-1).Pa-1, and P-H2O approximate to 1.0 center dot 10(-7) mol. m(-2).s(-1).Pa-1 at semi-dry condition and 25 degrees C). In addition, the best oxygen barrier performance was obtained for a film thickness of similar to 20 mu m, above which no significant increase in the oxygen barrier performance was noticeable. The outcome of this study suggests the potential of sodium alginate for specific food packaging applications, such as the manufacturing of edible films or functional coatings for packaging materials (e.g., plastics, paper, etc.), thus possibly meeting the increasing demand for more sustainable products and processes
Earthworms as conveyors of mycorrhizal fungi in soils
No full textInternational audienceEarthworms are emblematic soil organisms, known to be highly beneficial to soil functioning and ecosystem sustainability. In the current context of agroecological transition, they can be inoculated in degraded soil for their beneficial effect on soil structure and plant growth. We here advocate that earthworms can be also used as conveyors of beneficial mycorrhizal fungi in soils, thus enhancing plant nutrition and promoting primary production. Through a review of the literature on earthworms and mycorrhizal fungi, this paper aims at answering the following questions: Do earthworms ingest mycorrhizal fungi? Do they convey mycorrhizal fungi in their digestive tube so they are still active when leaving earthworm intestines? Is there a spatial correlation between earthworm casts and plant roots which could enhance mycorrhizal colonization of the root system? Considering that earthworms may ingest, transport, keep active in their intestine and bring mycorrhizal fungi to the roots, they could be used as conveyors of mycorrhizal fungi in soils. Although depending on the species, their presence was found to improve the colonization of roots by mycorrhizal fungi and to increase significantly the mycorrhization percentage. This perspective paper also underlines precautions that should be taken to make available and relevant this Nature-based soil improvement method
Responsabiliser l’achat public ? Entre théories et pratiques
No full textInternational audienceÀ quelles conditions l'achat public peut-il devenir un outil de politique publique d’accompagnement à la Responsabilité Sociale des Entreprises (RSE) ? Plus largement, les acteurs disposent-ils aujourd’hui de tous les outils nécessaires afin de mettre en œuvre un achat public réellement responsable ? Issu du projet « Une RSE repensée – De l’implication des acteurs à une réappropriation des politiques publiques » (2016-2018), cet ouvrage réunit des analyses et des témoignages de praticiens de l’achat public et de chercheurs en sciences humaines et sociales afin d’aborder de manière transdisciplinaire les enjeux de l’achat public responsable. Ce croisement de regards permet de montrer qu’en dépit du dynamisme réglementaire actuel et des multiples initiatives innovantes portées par les acteurs sur le terrain, l’achat public peine encore aujourd’hui à pleinement intégrer le développement durable, ce qui impliquerait une rupture plus franche avec son héritage ordo-libéral
