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International audience; A lot of national and international effort has been made to promote sustainable agricultural production systems in drylands. However, success has been seriously limited due to lack of thorough characterization of the impact of the diversity of farm household types on productivity, resource-use efficiency and economic and nutritional status. This study applied hierarchical ascendant classification to a random sample of 286 cereal-producing farm households in Morocco and identified distinct household typologies. It also carried out an analysis of trade-offs between economic, nutritional and environmental factors induced by the production decisions of the different farm household typologies. Our analysis identified three dominant farm household typologies in the production system, namely: (i) intensive predominantly-vegetable farming households with high input intensities, (ii) semi-intensive cereal mono-crop farming households with moderate input intensities and (iii) extensive mixed cereal-legume farming households with low input intensities. Extensive mixed cereal-legume farming households exhibited the highest resource-use efficiency and high biodiversity. These benefits, however, came at the expense of a much lower farm income and limited food supplies relative to the other two systems. These results show that, as is the case for many dryland regions, all three farm types showed precarious conditions for one or more of the sustainability-related indicators.

National audience; French agriculture is now facing a dual challenge of environmental sustainability and productivity. Further to the Grenelle Environment Conference (Environment roundtables organized in 2007 by the French government), Ecologically Intensive Agriculture (EIA) has emerged as a new concept to reach this dual challenge. This paper uses an economic approach to analyse the emerging concept of EIA and its specificities. It discusses the relevance of ecological intensification and natural resources productivity concepts at the farm level. It shows the measurement of productive efficiency of farms as a methodological framework for assessing the EIA approach.; L’agriculture française doit relever un double défi, environnemental et productif. Suite au Grenelle de l’environnement, le terme d’Agriculture Ecologiquement Intensive (AEI) est apparu comme un concept susceptible de répondre à ce double défi. Cet article analyse le concept d’AEI, son émergence et ses spécificités, en privilégiant une approche économique. Il discute la pertinence des notions d’intensification écologique et de productivité des ressources naturelles à l’échelle de l’exploitation. Il présente l’analyse de l’efficience productive des exploitations comme un cadre méthodologique pour l’évaluation de la démarche AEI.

This chapter introduces the concept of ecosystem services in agriculture by classifying and comparing different types of farming. It distinguishes fossil-fuel-based and ecosystem-based systems. Agroecology and integrated farming are two ecosystem-based systems. Their principles and characteristics are defined. Their implementation often requires a recapitalization of ecosystems in soil organic matter and ecological infrastructures. As scientific activities, they are often involved in action and based on a holistic and participatory approach with pilot farms. Examples of this type of research activities are presented.Changes are needed in Belgian and European agricultural systems notably because they are based on massive use of fossil fuels and imports of animal feed from other continents. In addition to expected price increases of these inputs, a self-sufficiency rate is desirable. Intensive systems also have a negative impact on the environment. Policy options are proposed for implementing a fast transition to more agroecological systems.

French agriculture is now facing a double challenge, environmental and productive. Following the Grenelle environment forum (organized by French government in 2007), ecologically intensive agriculture (EIA) has emerged as a new concept to reach this dual challenge. The large Agricultural Cooperative TERRENA in western France chose to refer to the EIA as a structural element of its business strategy. The aim of this paper is to present an economic approach of the emerging concept of EIA, and its implementation by the cooperative and its members

Diplôme d'Ingénieur Agronome; Master; After the Second World War, agriculture becomes productivist and intensive. If this agriculture permits reach quickly the food security for the European population, it is now questioned for the environment damage caused by this intensive agriculture by the society and the public decision-makers and by some food-processing companies. For instance, Terrena is committed to make the promotion of an ecologically intensive Agriculture (AEI) which maximizes the ecological features of the ecosystems instead of use industrial inputs. Within the framework of this initiative, there the competitiveness of the farmers towards the energy and fertilizers is questioned because of the price volatility. Indeed, imbalance between supply and demand of energy and fertilizers makes price be really volatile. An analyse with data from the Farm Accountancy Data Network (FADN) shows that French cereal producers are really dependent of mineral fertilizer and can be vulnerable in case of low output price and high inputs price. But opportunity for farmer to develop low input practices especially depends of the evolution of cereal price. In case of high price, farmers prefer maximize their production by using more inputs. However, use low input is a rational behavior because inputs price will continue to increase until there is no more resource.; L’agriculture française et européenne s’est développée, au fil des dernières décennies, selon un modèle productiviste et intensif. Celui-ci est aujourd’hui remis en cause pour les dommages qu’il cause à l’environnement par la société. Le Groupe Terrena est engagé depuis 2007 dans une démarche visant à faire la promotion d’une Agriculture Ecologiquement Intensive (AEI), c’est-à-dire une agriculture qui maximise les fonctionnalités écologiques des écosystèmes, fonctionnalités qui sont utiles à la production agricole et permettent de réduire la consommation d’intrants d’origine industrielle. Dans sa réflexion sur l’AEI, le groupe Terrena se pose également la question de la compétitivité des exploitations agricoles face à la volatilité des prix de l’énergie, objet de ce mémoire. Les prix des engrais et des carburants sont, en effet, très volatils depuis quelques années du fait de déséquilibres entre les capacités d’offre limitée par le manque d’investissement et la demande croissante des pays émergents. Une analyse à partir des données du RICA montre que l’agriculture française est globalement plus dépendante aux engrais comparé à l’agriculture des autres pays européens. En revanche, la fiscalité française sur les carburants agricoles permet aux agriculteurs d’être plus compétitifs. Ce sont les exploitations de grandes cultures qui sont les plus vulnérables à l’évolution à la fois du prix des engrais et des carburants. Cependant, à court terme, la volonté des agriculteurs à adopter des techniques de type AEI plus économes en intrants dépend surtout de l’évolution concomitante du prix des produits agricoles (surtout en grandes cultures) car ils préféreront maximiser leur production si les prix sont élevés. A long terme, il faudra néanmoins adopter, au travers de démarches telles que l’AEI des itinéraires techniques moins gourmands en intrants.

N° ISBN - 978-2-7380-1284-5; International audience; Ecological intensification of agriculture: pathways and challenges. The objective of this paper is to contribute to analyzing the possible pathways to and challenges facing ecologically intensive agriculture (EIA), founded upon the sustainable use of natural processes. Firstly, the notion of ecological intensification by comparison/opposition with conventional forms of agricultural intensification is presented. The positions of the various actors, in relationship to the concept of EIA, are then examined. If this movement towards ecological intensification is apparently garnering a wide consensus, there are in fact different or even divergent points of view. Finally, we analyze the opportunities, barriers and challenges to the development of EIA. Indeed, difficulties may slow down this move towards farming more in harmony with nature and the environment.; L’objectif de ce texte est de contribuer à analyser les voies, possibilités et défis d’une agriculture écologiquement intensive, utilisant de façon durable des processus naturels. En premier lieu on présente la notion d'intensification écologique par comparaison/opposition aux autres formes d’intensification conventionnelles en agriculture. Puis on examine le positionnement de divers acteurs par rapport à la notion d'agriculture écologiquement intensive. Si en apparence cette orientation recueille un large consensus, il existe en fait des points de vue différents, voire divergents. En dernier lieu on analyse les possibilités, obstacles et défis au développement d’une agriculture écologiquement intensive. En effet des difficultés sont susceptibles de freiner cette voie vers une agriculture plus en harmonie avec la nature et le milieu.