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This book has been published by Allenvi (French National Alliance for Environmental Research) to coincide with the 22nd Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP22) in Marrakesh. It is the outcome of work by academic researchers on both sides of the Mediterranean and provides a remarkable scientific review of the mechanisms of climate change and its impacts on the environment, the economy, health and Mediterranean societies. It will also be valuable in developing responses that draw on “scientific evidence” to address the issues of adaptation, resource conservation, solutions and risk prevention. Reflecting the full complexity of the Mediterranean environment, the book is a major scientific contribution to the climate issue, where various scientific considerations converge to break down the boundaries between disciplines. Cet ouvrage, publié par l'Alliance nationale de recherche sur l'environnement (Allenvi) à l'occasion de la 22e Conférence des Parties de la Convention Cadre des Nations unies sur le changement climatique (COP22) de Marrakech, est le fruit de la mobilisation de chercheurs et d'universitaires des deux rives de la Méditerranée. Il constitue une synthèse scientifique exceptionnelle sur les mécanismes du changement climatique, ses impacts sur l'environnement, l'économie, la santé et les sociétés de la Méditerranée. Il représente par ailleurs un précieux outil pour élaborer des réponses, fondées sur l'« évidence scientifique », en matière d'adaptation, de conservation des ressources, de solutions ou de prévention des risques. Mettant en exergue toute la complexité de l'environnement méditerranéen, cet ouvrage est une contribution scientifique majeure à la question climatique, au croisement des questionnements scientifiques dans une perspective de décloisonnement disciplinaire.

Small scale farmers commonly use agrobiodiversity as a way to maintain the quality of their livelihood. Agrobiodiversity practices are more frequent in tropical low input agriculture but are also present in Europe. This paper first describes how farmers in Mali use more than 200 traditional varieties of sorghum in an area covering over than 1 million ha altogether, and how their photoperiodism allows reduction of drought risks and other risks. The second case presented concerns an area of 10 000 ha on a volcanic slope in the Comoros Islands where in recent years, farmers have increased agrobiodiversity by using multiple cropping including trees. Their main motivation has been to cope with population increase in an inextensible area. The general discussion concerns the methodological approach, the reasons why agronomists should have more consideration for farmers' practices, and how agrobiodiversity on small scale farms in Africa and in Europe preserves resilience and opens up an alternative in certain situations to high input farming systems.