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International audience; Cocoa-based agroforestry systems (AFS) provide a variety of products, either sold or self-consumed. The choice of crop species and planting density in cocoa AFS has an impact on the quantities and the economic value of the agricultural products sold and consumed by producers. We characterized 140 cocoa AFS in three main production areas in the Dominican Republic, together with farmer's management practices, to construct a typology of cocoa AFS based on their structure, and evaluate their performances. The sum of the sales of cocoa, other products, and self-consumption did not differ significantly among AFS types. However, a high degree of diversification combined with a high density of associated fruit species reduced cocoa sales, but increased fruit sales and self-consumption. In contrast, a low diversity of associated plants including nitrogen-fixing trees increased cocoa sales but reduced fruit sales and self-consumption. The highest economic performance was obtained with intermediate diversity (three to seven species) and density (100-400 associated plants ha(-1)). Our results provide food for thought for optimizing crop diversity and density to adjust the economic balance between sales and self-consumption of the products harvested in cocoa AFS.

Intensive agricultural practices are leading to loss of soil fertility and overexploitation of natural resources which cause nutrients imbalance and further impair ecosystem services. Organic farming (OF), also coupled with minimum tillage and crop rotations, represents one of the strategies to limit this process and maintain soil functions. In a two-year field trial, organic farming practices, including a set of fertilizations combined with crop rotations and association with nitrogen fixing cover crops, were compared. The aim of this research was to assess in the short-term the effects on soil organic carbon, aggregate stability, and soil enzymes activities of using a combination of promising management practices in the delta region of the Po river. Results did not show improvements in organic carbon content and soil aggregate stability. Conversely, enzymatic activities were always significantly higher in OF treatments than the conventional one. Crop rotation and associated legumes were effective in enhancing β-glucosidase and P fixation through phosphatases activities. The present work suggests that an effective choice of crop species coupled with legumes can enhance biological activity re-starting main mechanisms of microbial development even without a contemporary increase of organic matter.

The data presented in this article are related to the research article entitled “Ant abundance and Cosmopolites sordidus damage in plantain fields as affected by intercropping” (A.G. Dassou, D. Carval, S. Dépigny, G.H Fansi, P. Tixier, 2015) [1]. This article describes how associated crops maize (Zea mays), cocoyam (Xanthosoma sagittifolium) and bottle gourd (Lagenaria siceraria) intercropped in the plantain fields in Cameroun modify ant community structure and damages of banana weevil Cosmopolites sordidus. The field data set is made publicly available to enable critical or extended analyzes.

Agroecology, see here as a set of practices, is a promising alternative to the new challenges facing agriculture. In this study an agroecological practices (PAE) indicator was constructed and a methoddeveloped to characterize farms based on their production factors and strategies, their performance and the implementation of PAE. This methodological framework was applied to 92 farms in Guadeloupe and123 farms in Martinique. In each of the 2 islands, 5 types of farms with different strategies towards agroecological practices were observed. It appears that 50% of the farms in the sample studied haveanimals. As a result, 48% of farms use crop by-products as animal feed and 46.5% fertilize their crops with manure. The rationale for crop livestock integration and the need for support and researches woulddepend on the type of farm.; L’agroécologie, vue ici comme un ensemble de pratiques, est une alternative prometteuse face aux nouveaux enjeux de l’agriculture. Dans cette étude un indicateur de pratiques agroéologiques (PAE) aété construit et une méthode a été élaborée afin de caractériser des exploitations à partir de leurs facteurs et de leurs stratégies de production, de leur performance et de la mise en place de PAE. Cecadre méthodologique a été appliqué à 92 exploitations de Guadeloupe et 123 de Martinique. Dans chacune des deux îles, 5 types d’exploitations ayant des stratégies différentes vis-à-vis des pratiquesagroécologiques ont été observées. Il apparait que 50% des exploitations de l’échantillon étudié ont des animaux. De ce fait, 48% des exploitations utilisent des co-produits des cultures comme aliments dubétail et 46,5% fertilisent leurs cultures avec du fumier. Les logiques d’intégration cultures élevage et les besoins en accompagnement et en recherches dépendent du type de ferme.

Purpose Coffee represents an important trade asset internationally. Around 70% of global coffee production is provided by 25 million smallholders farmers. In recent decades, coffee systems have been transformed into more intensified systems of coffee monoculture. The general objectives of this paper are to provide a better picture of the traditional coffee cropping systems and postharvest processes on-farm and to assess the environmental impacts, integrating the diversity of smallholder cropping systems. Methods A Life Cycle Assessment from cradle to farm gate was performed for three cropping systems representative of Colombian coffee cultivation according to the associated crops and shadow trees: coffee alone (CA), coffee with transition shade (CTS), and coffee with permanent shade (CPS). The system studied includes inputs, agricultural production and postharvest operations using the wet method. The final product of farms is parchment bean coffee at farm gate. The technology used is representative of the average practices of smallholder coffee growers in the region. To address multiple functions of coffee, three functional units (FU) were selected: area by time (ha*year−1 unit area), productivity (ton of parchment coffee) and farmers income (1000 USD$). Seven midpoint categories were selected: climate change, acidification, terrestrial eutrophication, freshwater eutrophication, marine eutrophication, freshwater ecotoxicity, and water resource depletion. Results and discussion We present the life cycle inventory and impact assessment results from three types of cropping systems CA, CTS and CPS. For all FU, the CPS system has the lowest potential impact, excepted for marine eutrophication. CPS also has the highest coffee yields, however it has also the highest costs. Even if cropping system diversification is only one of multiple factors that influence environmental performance, agroforestry seems to be a promising path to reduce and mitigate environmental impacts by decreasing off-fam contributions (input fabrication). Conclusions Results show the possibility that diversified cropping systems have an influence when assessing potential environmental impacts of coffee at farm gate and differences found might be influenced by shading in traditional coffee systems. Future work is needed to consider the real potential of CTS cropping system including land use and carbon dynamics. Assessments including social indicators and the rest of the value chain in particular coffee industrial transformation and utilization are also needed since the consumption stages are also a key driver to reduce the environmental footprint of coffee.

Ce numéro est constitué d’articles issus du colloque « Biodiversité et durabilité des agricultures » qui s’est tenu à Paris le 11 avril 2019.; The current economic, environmental and social context encourages a transition to agroecologicalpractices that limit the use of synthetic inputs and enhance planned biodiversity in agroecosystems.Such practices mobilize a number of ecosystem services provided by soil organisms. Thiscommunication presents the principal components of the soil biota and associated ecosystem services.The impacts of the main soil management practices (tillage, fertilization) and of alternative systems arethen described. In conclusion we stress the importance of soil biodiversity conservation foragroecosystem fertility and functioning, and suggest a few key improvements such as increasing plantdiversity in agricultural systems.; Notre contexte économique, environnemental et sociétal actuel nous incite à considérer, dans le cadrede la transition agroécologique, des pratiques agricoles limitant l’usage d’intrants de synthèse etfavorisant la biodiversité planifiée dans les agroécosystèmes. Ces pratiques mobilisent certains servicesécosystémiques réalisés par la biocénose du sol. Dans cette communication, nous présentons lesprincipales composantes de la biocénose du sol et certains services écosystémiques associés. Nousabordons ensuite les impacts des principales pratiques culturales (labour, fertilisation) et des modes degestion des terres alternatifs. Nous concluons sur l’importance de la préservation de la biodiversité dessols sur la fertilité des agroécosystèmes, et suggérons des pratiques clés d’amélioration telles quel’augmentation de la diversité végétale dans les systèmes de culture.

Notre contexte économique, environnemental et sociétal actuel nous incite à considérer, dans le cadre de la transition agroécologique, des pratiques agricoles limitant l’usage d’intrants de synthèse et favorisant la biodiversité planifiée dans les agroécosystèmes. Ces pratiques mobilisent certains services écosystémiques réalisés par la biocénose du sol. Dans cette communication, nous présentons les principales composantes de la biocénose du sol et certains services écosystémiques associés. Nous abordons ensuite les impacts des principales pratiques culturales (labour, fertilisation) et des modes de gestion des terres alternatifs. Nous concluons sur l’importance de la préservation de la biodiversité des sols sur la fertilité des agroécosystèmes, et suggérons des pratiques clés d’amélioration telles que l’augmentation de la diversité végétale dans les systèmes de culture., The current economic, environmental and social context encourages a transition to agroecological practices that limit the use of synthetic inputs and enhance planned biodiversity in agroecosystems. Such practices mobilize a number of ecosystem services provided by soil organisms. This communication presents the principal components of the soil biota and associated ecosystem services. The impacts of the main soil management practices (tillage, fertilization) and of alternative systems are then described. In conclusion we stress the importance of soil biodiversity conservation for agroecosystem fertility and functioning, and suggest a few key improvements such as increasing plant diversity in agricultural systems.

L’agroécologie, vue ici comme un ensemble de pratiques, est une alternative prometteuse face aux nouveaux enjeux de l’agriculture. Dans cette étude un indicateur de pratiques agroéologiques (PAE) a été construit et une méthode a été élaborée afin de caractériser des exploitations à partir de leurs facteurs et de leurs stratégies de production, de leur performance et de la mise en place de PAE. Ce cadre méthodologique a été appliqué à 92 exploitations de Guadeloupe et 123 de Martinique. Dans chacune des deux îles, 5 types d’exploitations ayant des stratégies différentes vis-à-vis des pratiques agroécologiques ont été observées. Il apparait que 50% des exploitations de l’échantillon étudié ont des animaux. De ce fait, 48% des exploitations utilisent des co-produits des cultures comme aliments du bétail et 46,5% fertilisent leurs cultures avec du fumier. Les logiques d’intégration cultures élevage et les besoins en accompagnement et en recherches dépendent du type de ferme, Agroecology, see here as a set of practices, is a promising alternative to the new challenges facing agriculture. In this study an agroecological practices (PAE) indicator was constructed and a method developed to characterize farms based on their production factors and strategies, their performance and the implementation of PAE. This methodological framework was applied to 92 farms in Guadeloupe and 123 farms in Martinique. In each of the 2 islands, 5 types of farms with different strategies towards agroecological practices were observed. It appears that 50% of the farms in the sample studied have animals. As a result, 48% of farms use crop by-products as animal feed and 46.5% fertilize their crops with manure. The rationale for crop livestock integration and the need for support and researches would depend on the type of farm.

Resumen:El objetivo del presente trabajo fue evaluar la asociación de tres especies de oleaginosas: Jatropha curcas (Linn), Ricinuscommunis (Linn) y Moringa oleifera (Lam) en la etapa de establecimiento. El estudio se realizó en el área experimental del Colegio de Postgraduados, Campus Veracruz, México, durante el periodo 2013-2014. Se utilizó un diseño completamente aleatorizado y se muestrearon diez plantas al azar por cada especie en las que se evaluó altura de la planta, grosor del tallo y de la rama primaria, proyección de la copa y afectaciones por plagas y enfermedades. Se empleó estadística descriptiva (promedio). Jatropha y Moringa tuvieron un crecimiento acelerado (20 cm) entre los 45 y 60 días de evaluación, mientras que el crecimiento de Ricinus fue más lento (10 cm) y su altura resultó inferior a la reportada en la literatura. Las variables grosor del tallo y de la rama primaria y proyección de la copa en J. curcas yM. oleifera tuvieron poca variabilidad; las plantas de Ricinus fueron afectadas por plagas y patógenos, sin embargo, no se encontraron los mismos insectos en las especies evaluadas. Moringa fue la especie que sobresalió respecto a las variables evaluadas y Jatropha expresó un comportamiento morfológico similar al encontrado en sistemas de monocultivo. Para Ricinus la asociación no fue favorable debido al efecto de la sombra y el ataque severo de agentes patógenos. Abstract:The objective of this study was to evaluate the association of three species of oleaginous: Jatropha curcas (Linn), Ricinus communis (Linn) and Moringa oleifera(Lam) in the establishment phase. The study was conducted in the experimental area of Colegio Postgraduados, Campus Veracruz, in Mexico from 2013 to 2014. A completely randomized design was used and ten plants of each species were randomly sampled; plant height, stem and the primary branch diameter, the projection of the crown and pests and diseases problems were evaluated. Descriptive statistics (average) was used. Jatropha and Moringa had a growth spurt (20 cm) between 45 and 60 days of evaluation, while Ricinus growth was slower (10 cm) and its height was lower than reported in the literature. The variables of the stem and the primary branch diameter as well as the crown projection of J. curcas and M. oleifera had little variability; Ricinus plants were affected by pests and pathogens; however, the insects found were not the same in the species tested. Moringa was the species that had the highest value in most of the variables evaluated and Jatropha had a morphological pattern similar to that found in monoculture systems. For Ricinus, the association was not favourable due to the effect of shade and the severe attack of pathogens.

La palmera, como aprovechamiento agrícola, ha estado estrechamente vinculada al espacio de la Huerta generado a lo largo de los siglos en la llanura aluvial del Segura. Los múltiples usos derivados de ésta han fortalecido su permanencia, a la vez que la imagen identitaria con que se asocia al territorio. Su presencia ha quedado plasmada en escritos de todo tipo desde la Ilustración hasta nuestros días, lo que permite contrastar la visión de entonces con la situación que atraviesa en la actualidad. Para ello se analizan tres ámbitos diferentes, San Isidro, una población entre palmeras tras la colonización de suelos salinos; el Palmeral de Orihuela, como pervivencia de un enclave histórico ligado a los rendimientos mixtos de la tierra; y finalmente, la dispersión generalizada de la palmera por el medio agrario., The palm tree, regarded as an agrarian resource, has been closely linked to the orchards, or spaces of "Huerta", developed over centuries in the Segura River fertile plains. The multiple uses of the palm tree have guaranteed its continuity and strengthened its association with the identity image related to this territory. Its presence has been captured in all types of written documents, from the Enlightenment to recent times, allowing us to compare ancient vision and present situation. To develop this comparison the paper analyses three different contexts: San Isidro, a town built between palms previously planted on saline soil, the Palmeral of Orihuela, a survival remain of a historic site associated with mixed cultivation of land and, finally, the generalized palm tree dispersion through the agrarian landscape., Universidad de Granada. Departamento de Historia del Arte

O objetivo deste trabalho foi comparar a economicidade de algumas técnicas de recuperação de pastagens, ao longo de um período, avaliando o desempenho animal sob pastejo rotacionado. As atividades foram desenvolvidas em Brasilândia, MS, em seis módulos de cinco hectares cada. Os módulos T1 (milho + Brachiaria brizantha), T2 (arroz + B. brizantha) e T3 (arroz + B. brizantha + Calopogonium mucunoides) foram renovados de acordo com a técnica preconizada pelo Sistema Barreirão. O módulo T4 foi formado de acordo com o método convencional da região de B. brizantha. Os módulos T5 e T6 foram selecionados nas proximidades dos demais módulos como testemunhas, predominando a B. humidicola no módulo T5 e B. humidicola e B. decumbens no módulo T6. A avaliação econômica foi baseada na produção de grãõs, ganho de peso e na lotação animal. Os resultados encontrados nos sistemas analisados, nos módulos T1, T2, T3 e T4 demostram que a exploração da pecuária bovina de corte, no pasto recuperado, é uma atividade economicamente lucrativa, e que os módulos T1, T2 e T3 apresentam vantagem comparativa, devido à produção de grãos que cobre parte dos custos de formação de pastagem.