Portail HAL du CIHEAM Montpellier
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Characterizing agroecology in North Africa, a review of 88 sustainable agriculture projects
No full textInternational audienceAgroecology refers to the greening of agrosystems with the mobilization of ecosystem services in order to limit exogenous inputs, enhance biodiversity and moderate the exploitation of natural resources. Agroecological practices offer pathways for transformation and transition not only of agricultural systems but of entire food systems. Through its objectives, agroecology aims at both sustainable land management and the strengthening of the livelihoods of producers and rural people and thus contributes to the fight against desertification. Currently, there is little scientific literature on the characteristics of agroecology in the Maghreb region. Several studies provide important information but they do not allow drawing up a global panorama of agroecology in the region. The proposed article highlights general characteristics of agroecology in North Africa from a review of 88 sustainable agriculture projects, which it analyzes, through an inventory of agroecological practices supported by these projects, from the frameworks of the High-Level Panel of Experts on Food Security and Nutrition, 2019, on the principles of agroecology and the transition levels approach developed by Gliessman and fellows since 2007. The results show (i) differences in the observed practices depending on the agrosystems and (ii) predominant common practices across these diverse agrosystems; (iii) significant evolution in these practices over time. The majority of the agroecological innovations identified are at the plot and farm scales, with the exception of those found in oasis and mountain agrosystems, where practices integrate the scales of the territory and value chains in a more complete way
The Need for HPC in AI Solutions
No full textInternational audienceHigh-Performance Computing (HPC) aims at providing the most efficient computing support for problems solving. It is basically a conjunction of three components: methods, programming, and machines. When considered as a support to a given paradigm, the main focus is on the last two components. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is becoming a major topic in the computer science landscape, with a broad range of applications that is continuously increasing. Cutting-edge AI is very ambitious and the required computing power to reach the expected level of efficiency is very high, thus the vital need for HPC support. The aim for this chapter is to illustrate the importance of HPC in AI investigations and solutions through a number of selected applications. For each application or AI-oriented study, we illustrate the critical aspect of the execution time, considering training and inference
Perceived quality framework in Mediterranean clusters: analyzing the functioning, the conditions, the strategies and the performances of fruit and vegetables short food supply chain
No full textInternational audienceThis article presents a theoretical model developed for the analysis of supply chain systems of fruit and vegetables in the Mediterranean Clusters, according to MED-LINKS project, including the drivers determining their organisational characteristics, the internal relationships and dynamics, and the related performance. The analysis targets the clusters of firms that represent the structural components of Short Food Supply Chain system (SFSCs). Clusters of fruit and vegetables production in the Mediterranean partner countries are defined and delimited at geographical and economic level. The theoretical model identifies an inventory of selected reference indicators that will subsequently be needed to assess the supply chain systems' external and multidimensional drivers, strategical choices and competitiveness. Our theoretical model allowed the identification of four fruit and vegetable production clusters in the Mediterranean partner countries according to the SFSCs, that allowed us to do the exploration of an inventory of cluster-relevant reference indicators at the level of the four countries. This empirical study was analyzed to measure and assess the degree of importance of relevant indicators related to external and multidimensional factors (economic, environmental, rules, behavioral attitude), strategic choices and supply chain performance of clusters in the Mediterranean area. The survey carried out by questionnaire among the experts interviewed also made it possible to raise, for certain clusters, other proposals for variables likely to impact the performance of the said clusters
Artificial Intelligence and High Performance Computing in the Cloud
No full textInternational audienceHigh-performance computing has significantly evolved during the last two decades with the advent and consideration of multicores configurations and general-purpose GPUs. In the same time but more recently, artificial intelligence has gained a serious popularity and is considered in a broad range of applications. Cutting-edge AI, which typically involving large models and huge volume of training datasets, cannot be considered without the support of HPC infrastructures and techniques. Cloud computing is the most affordable way to leverage the power of HPC systems. As collection of valuable inputs from high-standard scientists, “Artificial Intelligence and High-Performance Computing in the Cloud” is certainly a book that should be given a serious consideration
The water-energy-food-ecosystem nexus in North Africa dryland farming: a multi-criteria analysis of climate-resilient innovations in Morocco
No full textInternational audienceSmallholder farmers, who mostly engage in low-value agriculture in the drylands of Northern Africa, were the first to have felt the effects of climate change, with threats to their livelihoods and food security. The increasing costs of agricultural production, poor water and energy infrastructure, loss of agricultural land due to urban expansion, fragmented resource management, and unsustainable management practices all contribute to this vulnerability to climate change. This highlights the urgent need for innovative practices in farming systems. Within the framework of the water-energy-foodecosystem nexus, this paper explores innovative practices in dryland farming systems, by assessing their impact on water, energy, food, and ecosystem through stakeholder perception. In this work, we aim to present a systems approach for assessing the resilience of the water-energy-food-ecosystem nexus in arid and semiarid regions. By using a multi-criteria analysis (MCA) approach, the study-which focuses on the Fès-Meknès region in Morocco-involves local actors to help researchers identify the key variables in order to assist farmers in their adaptation to climate change. The findings revealed different priorities between farmers and other stakeholders regarding the adoption of agricultural innovations. Farmers prioritize innovations that guarantee higher profitability and more market opportunities, such as integrating olive trees with cereal crops, by highlighting the importance of sustainable income sources. Meanwhile, stakeholders, such as researchers, engineers, government officials, and agribusiness entrepreneurs, prioritize innovations that emphasize high water use efficiency, which is crucial for the resilience of dryland farming areas: for instance, rainwater harvesting or the use of drought-resistant crop varieties that directly address the need for water conservation. But in doing so they are overlooking broader aspects within the water-energy-food-ecosystem nexus
Grille d’analyse des facteurs de performance des organisations de développement local : conception et test dans les oasis du Todgha au Maroc
No full textInternational audienceفي واحات جنوب شرق المغرب، تحتل تنظيمات التنمية المحلية غالباً مكانة مركزية في التنمية. وقد شهدت هذه التنظيمات زيادة ملحوظة خلال العقدين الأخيرين بالرغم من التحديات التي تواجهها: مثل نقص الاستقلال المالي وضعف الدعم التقني والاستراتيجي. وبهدف فهم أهمية المكون الجماعي في هذه الديناميكية، يهدف مقالنا إلى تحليل عوامل نجاح منظمات التنمية المحلية من خلال قياس أداء العمل الجماعي باستخدام شبكة تحليل تم بناؤها بالتعاون مع الفاعلين الميدانيين. تعتمد هذه الشبكة على عوامل ومؤشرات لقياس أداء العمل الجماعي تم تحديدها بشكل تشاركي مع مختلف المتدخلين في هذا الميدان على مستوى واحات تودغى. ترتبط هذه العوامل بشكل التنظيمات، ونوعية حوكمتها، وكذا طبيعة أنشطتها. ووفق منهج دوري وتراكمي، تمت مناقشة وتطوير هذه الشبكة أولاً مع ثلاث منظمات تنمية محلية، ثم تمت المصادقة عليها من قبل 9 باحثين وفاعلين في الميدان (خبراء، فلاحين، أعضاء في منظمات تنمية محلية، مؤسسات). في المرحلة الثانية، تم تطبيق الشبكة على منظمتين للتنمية المحلية في واحات تودغى. أظهرت النتائج المتحصل عليها أن أداء التنظيمات يعتمد على عوامل داخلية مثل خصائص أعضاء وقادة هذه التنظيمات (مثل النزاهة، الإصرار، الثقة…)، وعوامل خارجية مثل القدرة على استغلال فرص التمويل والشراكات والتعاون. انطلاقا من استخدام هذه الشبكة في سياق واحات تودغى، فإنه يمكن كذلك اعتمادها وتكييفها في سياقات أخرى لتقييم أداء التنظيمات.In the oasis of south-eastern Morocco, local development organizations have often played a central role in rural development. Over the past two decades, their number has grown remarkably despite the challenges they face, such as lack of financial autonomy and weak technical and strategic support. Based on our curiosity as to the importance of the collective aspect in this dynamic, our article aims to analyze the success factors of local development organizations by measuring the performance of collective action, using an analysis grid co-constructed with actors in the field. To this end, during a development site work in the Todgha oasis, we identified factors and indicators for measuring the performance of collective action. Linked to the origin of the organizations, their governance and the nature of their activities, these factors were brought together in a grid. Following an iterative and evolutionary process, this grid was first discussed and elaborated with three local development organizations, then validated with 9 researchers and actors (experts, farmers, members of local development organizations, institutions). The grid was then applied to two local development organizations in the Todgha oasis. The results show that organizational performance depends on internal factors such as the characteristics of members and leaders (kindness, perseverance, trust…), and external factors such as the ability to seize funding, partnership and cooperation opportunities. Applied to an oasis context, this grid could be used and adapted to other contexts to assess organizational performance.Dans les oasis du Sud-Est du Maroc, les organisations de développement local ont souvent occupé une place centrale dans le développement rural. Au cours des deux dernières décennies, leur nombre a connu un accroissement remarquable malgré les défis auxquels elles sont confrontées tels que le manque d’autonomie financière et le faible accompagnement technique et stratégique. Partant de la curiosité sur l’importance du collectif dans la dynamique de constitution de ces organisations, notre article a pour but d’analyser les facteurs de réussite des organisations de développement local à travers la mesure de performance de l’action collective à l’aide d’une grille d’analyse co-construite avec les acteurs du terrain. Pour ce faire, nous avons identifié, lors d’un stage de développement réalisé dans les oasis de Todgha, des facteurs et indicateurs de mesure de la performance de l’action collective. Liés à l’origine des organisations, à leur gouvernance et à la nature de leurs activités, ces facteurs ont été regroupés dans une grille. Suivant un processus itératif et évolutif, cette grille a été d’abord élaborée et discutée avec trois organisations de développement local, puis validée avec 9 chercheurs ainsi que des acteurs du terrain (experts, agriculteurs, membres d’organisations de développement local, institutionnels). Dans un deuxième temps, la grille a été appliquée à deux organisations de développement local dans les oasis de Todgha. Les résultats montrent que la performance des organisations dépend de facteurs internes tels que les caractéristiques des membres et des leaders de ces organisations (bonté, persévérance, confiance…), et des facteurs externes comme leur capacité à saisir les opportunités de financements, de partenariat et de coopération. Appliquée à un contexte oasien, cette grille pourrait être utilisée et adaptée à d’autres contextes pour évaluer la performance des organisations
Value seeking, health-conscious or sustainability-concerned? Profiling fruit and vegetable consumers in Euro-Mediterranean countries
No full textInternational audiencePurpose: The aim of this study was to investigate consumer preferences and profile their food-related lifestyles, as well as to identify consumer groups with similar attitudes/behaviours in the Euro-Mediterranean fruit and vegetable market. Design/methodology/approach: A structured questionnaire was designed drawing from the food related lifestyles instrument and including other factors relevant to fruit and vegetable consumer preferences. The data were collected in an online survey with 925 participants in France, Greece, and Italy. A principal component analysis was conducted to interpret and examine consumers' fruit and vegetable related lifestyles. In addition, a cluster analysis was performed to identify different consumer segments, based on the core dimensions of the food-related lifestyle approach. Findings: In each country, three primary consumer segments were distinguished. Health-conscious individuals were predominant in France and Greece, while quality-conscious consumers were prevalent in Italy. These classifications were determined considering various factors such as purchase motivation, perception of product quality, health concerns, environmental certifications, and price sensitivity. Originality/value: The food-related lifestyle approach has been adapted instrument to create a customised survey instrument specifically designed to capture the intricacies of fruit and vegetable consumer preferences and priorities in three Euro-Mediterranean Countries
Attitudes and preferences of the Moroccan consumer towards fruits : the case of the midelt apple (Morocco)
No full textInternational audienceIn this paper, we review and discuss the factors that affect consumer preferences and attitudes towards fruit. The objective is to provide a theoretical framework for an empirical study to identify the factors influencing the Moroccan consumer's purchase decision of the "Midelt" apple produced by farms in the Draa-Tafilalet region. A survey was conducted on a sample of 343 consumers, to study the factors that influence their attitudes towards local apples and their intention to buy the Midelt apple.Dans cet article, nous passons en revue et discutons les facteurs qui affectent les préférences et les attitudes du consommateur vis-à-vis des fruits. L’objectif est de fournir un cadre théorique pour la réalisation d’une étude empirique afin d’identifier les facteurs influençant la décision d’achat du consommateur marocain de la pomme de « Midelt » produite par les exploitations agricoles de la région Draa-Tafilalet. Une enquête a été réalisée sur un échantillon de 343 consommateurs, pour étudier les facteurs qui influencent leurs attitudes envers les pommes locales et leur intention d’achat de la pomme de Midelt
Actions to strengthen the contribution of small farms and small food businesses to food security in Europe
No full textInternational audienceThis study stems from a participatory foresight exercise conducted in nine Mediterranean, Baltic, Nordic and Eastern European regions, aiming to strengthen the role of small farms and small food businesses in ensuring food security. A wide range of stakeholders participated by attending workshops. They represented farmers’ organisations, food businesses, consumers’ organisations, NGOs, researchers, extension services, professional groups, and administration and public bodies. The actions proposed by participants are scanned and categorised around six broad objectives, stakeholders’ priorities and their underlying beliefs and preconceptions are discussed around the current debates of the literature, and the drivers that influence the feasibility of the proposed actions are discussed. Furthermore, the alignment of stakeholders’ -driven objectives with the European Strategies on food, agriculture, and rural areas is examined, with a focus on: (i) the EU Farm to Fork Strategy, (ii) the Rural Action Plan contained in the Long-Term Vision of Rural Areas developed by the EU Commission, and (iii) the Common Agricultural Policy in force since January 2023
Promoting excellence or discouraging mediocrity: a policy framework assessment for precision agriculture technologies adoption
No full textInternational audiencePrecision Agriculture Technologies (PATs) are providing a great potential in alleviating adverse impacts arising from climate change. This study evaluates the decision-making process of farmers regarding the adoption and implementation of PATs in potato agricultural cooperative in Northern Greece. For this purpose, a bio-economic model utilizing mathematical programming techniques was designed and applied to three different farms producing Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) potato of Kato Nevrokopi. The proposed model aims to incorporate the existing management methods of farming systems and their associated characteristics. Its objective is to analyse the aspirations of farmers to adopt new practices, considering agronomic, environmental, and policy limitations. Special focus was paid to two distinct scenarios: (a) subsiding PATs adopters or (b) penalizing the non-adopters. Results indicated that subsidy provision 594-650€/ha would have a greater impact on PATs profitability. Lastly, based on the results, further explanations of incentives towards promoting the adoption of novel practices, ensuring the long-term viability of agricultural systems, are proposed