Context: Better cooperation to tackle common challenges

The agroecological transition relies on various levers, including agricultural equipment, which requires appropriate research, testing of innovations, and the deployment of resources for industrialization. This work on agricultural equipment for agroecology requires collaboration between the field of robotics, with its digital component, and the field of agroecology, with its new practices component, which rely on environmental ecosystem services and in turn feed into them. Several programs included in France's 2030 national SADEA strategy (Sustainable Agricultural Systems and Agricultural Equipment Contributing to Ecological Transition) are focused on agroecology and/or agricultural equipment and share the observation that the combination of the required skills and expertise remains too limited. Furthermore, the respective positions of the PEPR AgroEcoNum and the Grand Défi on complementary levels of technological maturity (research versus product development) encourage deeper interaction to better support the growth of new practices and increase their respective impacts on agricultural transitions.

The objectives of the working group

It is in response to this observation that this working group on agroecology and agricultural equipment has been launched. The objectives of the working group are:

• To play a forward-looking role.
• To exchange ideas on scientific events and activities in order to promote attractive and non-redundant programs.
• To shed light on the complementarities and synergies in the technological orientations to be adopted in the service of agroecology.
• To be a source of proposals for projects, partnerships, and scientific events.
• To disseminate ideas and vision by producing opinion papers, for example.

Members of the working group

The group is composed of around fifteen experts (researchers, representatives of agricultural equipment unions) who meet every two to three months.

Group leaders: Claire Rogel-Gaillard and Cédric Séguineau

• Patrick Armengaud, Manager of PEPR AgroEcoNum, Inria
• Guillaume Bocquet, Director of Regulatory Affairs, AXEMA
• Laurent De Buyer, CEO, AXEMA
• Karine Gauche, Deputy Director #Digitag, Institut Agro Montpellier and member of the PEPR AgroEcoNum Scientific Council
• Philippe Héritier, Director Agrotechnopôle, INRAE
• Christian Huyghe, DS Agriculture Project Manager, INRAE - Interface between PEPR, PPR and Grands Défis, PARSADA
• Laure Latruffe, Director of Research, INRAE and Director of PPR Cultiver et Protéger Autrement
• Roland Lenain, Director of Research, TSCF Unit, INRAE
• Eric Lucet, Robotics Researcher, CEA and member of the PEPR AgroEcoNum Scientific Council
• Delphine Paul-Dauphin, Director of the Biocontrol and Biostimulants Grand Challenge, ABBA
• Xavier Reboud, DS Agriculture Project Manager, INRAE and Vice President of RobAgri
• Claire Rogel-Gaillard, Deputy Scientific Director of DS Agriculture, INRAE and Co-Director of the AgroEcoNum PEPR
• Jacques Sainte-Marie, Director of the Environment and Digital Program, Inria and Co-Director of the AgroEcoNum PEPR
• Cédric Séguineau, Director of the Agricultural Robotics Grand Challenge, RobAgri
• Myriam Tisserand, Manager of the Cultivate and Protect Differently PPR, INRAE

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