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International audience; Organic vegetable farming systems in France have diverse farm structures, farming practices and socio-economic contexts. From April-July 2019, Pépin et al. [1] surveyed 165 farms using an online form. The questions about farming practices or socio-economic context did not require quantitative responses to make them simple and easy to answer. From a list of practices, farmers were asked which one(s) they used most often. Using decision rules, the answers were transformed into variables that are suitable for multivariate analysis. The data set also contains analysed data, including composite indexes derived from survey answers, as well as the number of the cluster to which each farm belonged, created after multivariate analysis and clustering performed on the data set.

Landbrugets og fødevareproduktionens miljøpåvirkning er et meget aktuelt emne, som diskuteres flittigt verden over. Men den mest anvendte sammenligningsmetode (LCA) mangler ofte nogle meget afgørende faktorer, påpeger forskere fra Aarhus Universitet, Chalmers University of Technology og INRAE. LCA metoden inkluderer ofte ikke faktorer som biodiversitet, jordkvalitet og pesticidpåvirkninger, der har stor betydning i forhold til landbrugets påvirkning af miljøet. I en artikel til tidskriftet Nature Sustainability beskriver de ud fra en dybdegående analyse deres bekymring for, at den nuværende anvendelse af metoden kan føre til forkerte konklusioner om henholdsvis konventionelt og økologisk jordbrug.

INRA and CIRAD have launched the MEANS-InOut software, an operational and user-friendly tool to generate Life Cycle Inventories of the main crops and livestock systems. MEANS-InOut ensures that users do not forget any input, resource, waste, or pollutant flows and follow a consistent method to implement their inventories. MEANS-InOut remains under continual development to follow the evolution of sustainability assessment methods.

Soil organic carbon (SOC) plays a key role in soil functioning, i.e. soil quality. Land use affects SOC and soil quality. However, despite various methodological developments, there is still no scientific consensus on the best method to assess the holistic impact of land use and land use change within LCA. The SOCLE project aimed to review how SOC is accounted for in LCA and to test the feasibility and sensitivity of best methodological options. In total, five crop products (annual/perennial, temperate/tropical) and two livestock products were investigated through 32 scenarios of land use changes (LUC) and agricultural land management changes (LMC). Three methodologies were applied, IPCC Tier 1-2 (2006), Müller-Wenk & Brandaõ (2010) and Levasseur et al. (2012). The accounting of LUC and LMC influences greatly the results on the climate change impact category. Based on the project results, we recommend accounting systematically for the impact of LULUC on climate change by applying, a minima, the comprehensive IPCC Tier 1 approach (2006). When available, site-specific data should be used (e.g. Tier 2) for SOC stocks but also C:N ratio and in order to model the digressive impact over 90% of the time period needed to reach equilibrium.

Les méthodes d'évaluation ulticritère (EM) permettent de guider l'innovation pour concevoir des systèmes de production agricoles durables. Cet article présente et discute les principaux concepts, ainsi que quelques méthodes et exemples d'outils logiciels utilisés en France pour l'EM de la durabilité en agriculture. Les méthodes d'EM permettent de refléter une réalité complexe : elles quantifient le fait que, lors d'une comparaison de systèmes, il est rare qu'un des systèmes ait les valeurs les plus favorables pour l'ensemble des critères, chaque système ayant ses points forts et faibles. Les méthodes d'EM descriptive se limitent à une description des systèmes étudiés à l'aide de plusieurs critères, tandis que les méthodes d'évaluation multicritère d'interprétation incluent ou sont limités à l'intégration de l'ensemble des critères pour faciliter une décision.

La transition écologique nécessite une connaissance des impacts environnementaux des produits mis sur le mar-ché. Concernant les produits alimentaires, la perfor-mance environnementale de la phase agricole est parti-culièrement importante. L'Analyse du Cycle de Vie est la méthode privilégiée afin d'évaluer l'impact des produits sur l'ensemble de la chaîne de production. C'est un outil incontournable pour développer un marché européen de produits durables en faisant le lien entre les modes de production et de consommation. Cet article analyse les impacts environnementaux de nombreux produits agricoles français, du berceau à la sortie de la ferme, par une Analyse du Cycle de Vie multicritère. L'étude fournit des ordres de grandeur pour différentes catégories de produits et types d'impacts. La variabilité d'impact pour des produits " similaires " issus de différents systèmes de production est étudiée. La comparaison entre pro-ductions conventionnelles et biologiques montre des résultats variables selon les produits et les impacts. Quelques pratiques sont à l'origine de plusieurs impacts, indiquant des leviers d'action communs dans la perspec-tive d'une amélioration environnementale globale (pro-ductivité, fertilisation, alimentation animale, gestion des déjections…). L'article conclut par une discussion sur l'utilisation potentielle de ces données dans différents projets d'écoconception, et en lien avec la promotion d'un système alimentaire plus durable.

International audience; The aim of this article is to develop a methodological approach allowing to assess the influence of parameters of one or more elementary processes in the foreground system, on the outcomes of a life cycle assessment (LCA) study. From this perspective, the method must be able to: (1) include foreground process modeling in order to avoid the assumption of proportionality between inventory data and reference flows; (2) quantify influences of foreground processes’ parameters (and, possibly, interactions between parameters); and (3) identify trends (either increasing or decreasing) for each parameter on each indicator in order to determine the most favorable direction for parametric variation. These objectives can be reached by combining foreground system modeling, a set of two different sensitivity analysis methods (each one providing different and complementary information), and LCA. The proposed method is applied to a case study of hemp-based insulation materials for buildings. The present study will focus on the agricultural stage as a foreground system and as a first step encompassing the entire life cycle. A set of technological recommendationswere identified for hemp farmers in order to reduce the crop’s environmental impacts (from –11% to –89% according to the considered impact category). One of the main limitations of the approach is the need for a detailed model of the foreground process. Further, the method is, at present, rather time-consuming. However, it offers long-term advantages given that the higher level of model detail adds robustness to the LCA results.

AGRIBALYSE is a French research program dedicated to producing Life Cycle Inventories (LCI) of agricultural products, based on a strong partnership of 14 research and technical institutes. It provides a homogenous and consensual LCI database to support environmental labelling policies and to help the agricultural sector to improve its practices. The public LCI database of more than 100 products and its detailed methodology report were published in 2014. The database mainly contains LCIs for average French products, the functional unit is the product mass (kg) and the perimeter cradle-to–farm-gate. The datasets go along with a detailed methodology report (Koch and Salou 2014) and a project report (Colomb et al. 2014). Several key objectives for a follow-up project have already been identified: better estimate of uncertainties, accounting for soil carbon dynamics, impacts on biodiversity and impacts of water consumption. Enlargement of the database with additional products and products from innovative systems is also demanded, as well as stronger connections with international programs. These issues should be addressed in a future AGRIBALYSE 2 program.

Since 2009, ADEME, the French Environment and Energy Management Agency, has been working on implementing a recent French law from the Environmental Grenelle aiming to introduce environmental labeling of consumer products (Van der Werf et al., 2011). The objective of this environmental communication in France is to cover all the mass market products, encompassing 16 product categories, such as "Food and pet feed", "Finance service" or "Music instruments", which will be studied by specific working groups. The selected approach for the production of such environmental labeling is Life Cycle Assessment (ISO 14040 and 14044). Other required key points for all product categories are 1) environmental indicators are the same within a product category and their numbers must be limited, 2) carbon footprint is required for all products whatever the category, 3) the communication format has to harmonized in order to facilitate comparison, and 4) ADEME has to develop a public database in order to simplify the assessments (Cros et al., 2010). Pilot projects for several categories have been launched since 2010 with the aim to provide a common methodological framework. Within the frame of the Food and pet feed group, it was decided to create a public life cycle inventory (LCI) database of French agricultural raw products. This database, named Agri-BALYSE, is being developed by a consortium consisting of ten institutes for applied agricultural research and three agricultural research institutes specialized in the environmental analysis of farming systems. The database will apply a consistent methodology for the establishment of LCIs of plant and animal products at farm gate, following ISO norms and ILCD handbook (Van der Werf et al., 2011). The data basis will consist of 25 crop products declined in 70 LCIs, 3 LCIs for tropical products and 18 animal products with 48 declinations. A collection guide was established that defines the requirements for agricultural management data and states the rules for goal and scope definition and data documentation. The data collection tool allows for the conversion of the LCIs into Ecospold format. The LCI data should enable the calculation of the indicators identified for environmental labeling, but also of other indicators frequently used in LCA. By the end of the project, around June 2013, LCIs for the most representative production systems and production modes of the main French crop and animal products will be delivered based on consensual methods developed in the project (Van der Werf et al., 2011).

This article outlines the methodological guidelines that will be applied in the framework of the program Agri-BALYSE in order to compile life cycle inventories for about 110 French agricultural products. Special emphasis will be given on the treatment and the capture of the four main sources of variability for agricultural production systems: Variability due to differing natural production conditions, variability due to different production methods, variability due to different agricultural practices within a given production method and variability due to uncertainty of measurements. The guidelines are compiled in the Agri- BALYSE data collection guide which will be available end of summer 2011. Given the strategic importance of the Agri-BALYSE database, the data collection guide may become a national standard for LCA of agricultural products in France.

Les lisiers sont très souvent perçus comme une nuisance, Leur gestion doit être mieux raisonnée au niveau de l'exploitation d'élevage ou au sein d'un territoire, Dans ce but des collectifs d'éleveurs proposent des innovations organisationnelles. A partir de deux études de cas, cet article présente différentes méthodes pour aider ces collectifs dans leurs choix. Dans le cas de Grand Ilet (Ile de la Réunion). le modèle APPROZUT permet de simuler différentes stratégies d'approvisionnement d'une unité de traitement collective. Une stratégie réactive basée sur le niveau des stocks des élevages paraît meilleure: pas de débordement des fosses de stockage et forte robustesse en présence d'aléas. Dans le cas du sud-est de l'Ille ct Vilaine, l'Analyse de Cycle de Vic (ACV) ct le modèle COMET ont été utilisés pour aider il la gestion collective de lisier porcin. La performance environnementale du scénario Transfert (plan d'épandage collectif) est a priori meilleure que celle du scénario traitement (nitrification-dén itrification) pour les indicateurs eutrophisation. acidification et utilisation d'énergie non renouvelable, essentiellement du fait de la substitution d'engrais de synthèse par le lisier. Cette meilleure performance est obtenue sous réserve de la bonne réalisation du plan d'épandage collectif. Afin d'étudier les aspects logistique et agronomique de cc plan, le modèle COMET a été utilisé pour simuler le transfert de lisier de porcs de 11 élevages vers 22 exploitations situées il une distance moyenne de 44 km. En comparant une fin d'hiver humide (2001) et sèche (2002), les simulations montrent que le taux de réalisation du plan (quantité épandue/quantité prévue) varie selon la répartition des cultures, l'aptitude des sols il l'épandage ct la disponibilité du matériel. Ce taux influe sur les émissions gazeuses au stockage ct il l'épandage. ne seconde ACV réalisée il partir des !lux simulés par COMET montre une grande variabilité des ;performances agronomiques et environnementales liées aux conditions climatiques, d'accès aux parcelles, de disponibilité du matériel d'épandage ct aux assolements, La prise en compte du territoire en tant qu'espace de liens pour la gestion d'une ressource, considérée alors comme une richesse (fertilisants pour les cultures) et l'association de méthodes telles que ACV et modèles de simulation s'avèrent prometteuses pour mieux appréhender la dynamique et la variabilité du fonctionnement des systèmes de production animale dans un contexte d'aide à la décision de collectifs d'agriculteurs.

ADEME, the French Environment and Energy Management Agency, sees Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) as an essential tool to guide the evolution of agricultural production chains towards environmental sustainability. ADEME implements a recent French law aiming to introduce environmental labelling of consumer products, including food, by end of 2012. Labelling should indicate the product's carbon-footprint, but also other impacts. In this context it was decided to create a public life cycle inventory (LCI) database of French agricultural raw products. The database, named agriBALYSE, will be developed by a consortium consisting of ten institutes for applied agricultural research and three agricultural research institutes specialised in the environmental analysis of farming systems. The database will apply a consistent methodology for the establishment of LCIs of plant and animal products at the farm gate. The methods used and the data format will be in accordance with ISO norms, the ILCD handbook and the general methodology adopted for the environmental labelling of consumer products in France. The methods will be developed in the project, and will be based, as much as possible, on the involvement and the consensus of the concerned stakeholders. The LCI data should allow the calculation of the indicators identified for environmental labelling, but also of other frequently used LCA indicators. By the end of June 2011 the 3-year project should deliver LCIs for the most representative production systems of the main French crop and animal products, using existing methods and data. By the end of 2012, more LCIs, based on methods developed in the project, will be available for a wider range of production systems and production modes per product, and the range of products covered will be larger. (Réumé d'auteur)