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In this section of the site, you will discover the terms associated with agroecology defined in the dictionary. To do this, use the alphabet below by clicking on the letter corresponding to the term you wish to consult. All the terms having this 1st alphabetical letter in their name will be proposed to you for consultation. Have a good discovery!

A

Agro-silvo-pastoralism

Agro-silvo-pastoralism is a production activity that combines pastoralism (extensive livestock husbandry on pastures) and agriculture in a partially… View Article

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Agrobiodiversity

Agrobiodiversity, or agricultural biodiversity, is the part of biodiversity recognized as a resource by farmers for agricultural production…. View Article

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Agroecological crop protection

Agroecological crop protection (ACP) is the declination of agroecology to crop protection. Like agroecology, ACP has three dimensions…. View Article

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Agroecological design

Agroecological design is an approach to conceive a sustainable agroecosystem based on the beneficial interactions between its constituent… View Article

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Agroecological infrastructure

An “agroecological infrastructure” is the term used for any agroecosystem’s habitat in or around which a spontaneous vegetation,… View Article

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Agroecological transition

The term transition refers to the process by which the principles governing a system are radically altered, resulting… View Article

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Agroecology

Agroecology aims to promote sustainable food systems, respectful of people and the environment. These systems involve agricultural production… View Article

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Agroecosystem

An agroecosystem is a cultivated ecosystem, generally corresponding to the spatial unit of a farm and whose ecosystem… View Article

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Agroecosystem health

The health of an agroecosystem is its ability to develop and self-sustain the production of a diversity of… View Article

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Agroforestry

Strictly speaking, agroforestry is a practice where crops are associated with trees planted in the same plot (see… View Article

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Allelopathy

Allelopathy refers to all the biochemical interactions among plants, or between plants and microorganisms. The origin of the… View Article

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Alternative agriculture

Alternative agriculture is defined as production systems that do not use conventional methods. They aim at following the… View Article

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Anaerobic digestion on farms

Anaerobic digestion is the naturel process of the degradation of organic matter in the absence of oxygen. This… View Article

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Animal welfare

In 2018, ANSES (French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety) has defined animal welfare as… View Article

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Aquaponic

Aquaponic results in the synergy of fish farming and above-ground plan cultivation. Its objective is to produce fish… View Article

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Associated biodiversity

Associated biodiversity and planned biodiversity are the two components of biodiversity. Associated biodiversity is the part of biodiversity… View Article

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Autofertility

Autofertility defines a soil able to preserve its own fertility, i.e. how easy it is for a plant… View Article

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Autonomy in agricultural sytems

Autonomy is defined as the independence of an actor and/or a system from the exterior. This concept refers… View Article

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B

Biocontrol

Biocontrol comprises using living organisms or natural substances to prevent or reduce damage caused by harmful organisms (animal… View Article

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Biodynamic agriculture

Biodynamic agriculture is an alternative farm management mode, free from synthetic inputs. It has participated in the development… View Article

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Bioeconomy

Bioeconomy gathers all economical activities using biological resources with moderation. Biological resources refer to ecosystem biotic factors (organisms… View Article

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Biofumigation

Biofumigation is an agronomic practice that consists of finely grinding a plant cover set up during the fallow… View Article

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Biological input

A biological input is a living organism or element of biological origin (e.g. nettle manure), as opposed to… View Article

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Biological regulation

Set of interactions and transformations operating within agroecosystem biotechnical systems. Biological regulation integrates the concepts of natural regulation,… View Article

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Bioresource

Bioresources, or biological resources, are all the living-based matter that result directly or indirectly from photosynthesis. It refers… View Article

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Breed hardiness

A hardy breed, in a broad sense, is a breed which has little demands, requires little care, and… View Article

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C

Circular economy

Circular economy is an economic model based on the recognition of the finite nature of available resources. It… View Article

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Climate smart agriculture

Climate-smart agriculture (CSA) is an integrated approach of agriculture compatible with climate change (rise in average temperatures, more… View Article

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Closing nutrient cycles

Closing nutrient cycles is a process which aims to compensate the exit of mineral elements that are necessary… View Article

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Collaboration

Collaboration is a kind of social interaction involving direct and voluntary exchange of views among people. It aims… View Article

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Composite hedge

A composite hedge is a linear agroecological infrastructure, made up of several vegetation strata, associating different species, compatible… View Article

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Conservation biological control

Conservation biological control is a method to protect crops against pests. It consists in managing these pests by… View Article

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Consum’actor

The consum’actor is a consumer who reappropriates the act of consumption by using his purchasing power to protect… View Article

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Cover crop

A cover crop is established between the harvest of a main crop and the sowing of the next… View Article

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Crop auxiliaries

A crop auxiliary, in a broad sense, is a living organism that provides ecosystem services to facilitate agricultural… View Article

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Crop-livestock farming

Crop-livestock farming is an agricultural production system which combines one or more crops (intended for sale and/or feeding… View Article

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Crop rotation

Crop rotation consists of the organization of the succession of crops on a given field. The rotation is… View Article

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Cropping plan diversification

Crop plan refers to the organization of the different types of crops which are annually distributed on the… View Article

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D

Direct seeding under cover crop

Direct seeding under cover crop is an agricultural technique whereby a crop is sown directly in a vegetation… View Article

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E

Early spring grazing

Early spring grazing is an early grassland management type done by grazing. It is usually conducted on hay… View Article

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Ecological know-how

Ecological know-how is acquired through a combination of learned academic knowledge, objectifiable information shared among peers, and personal… View Article

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Ecologically intensive agriculture

Ecologically intensive agriculture (EIA) is an agricultural way of production based on the sustainable use of ecosystem services… View Article

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Ecology of food systems

The ecology of food systems is an approach that encompasses agroecology and the way we consume food by… View Article

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Ecopathology

Ecopathology is a systemic investigation approach to livestock health, which consists of studying the pathologies of farm animals… View Article

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Ecosystem services in agroecosystems

Ecosystem services are defined as the goods and services that humans can get from ecosystems, directly or indirectly,… View Article

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Extensive livestock production

Extensive livestock production is an animal farming system characterised by a low productivity per animal and per surface…. View Article

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F

Farm resilience

A farm’s resilience is its ability to cope with disturbances or to come back to a routine regime… View Article

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Feed autonomy regarding concentrates and fodder

Feed autonomy on a farm is assessed through the balance between feed (fodder, grains, cakes, etc) production on… View Article

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Fodder resources

Fodder comes from different types of plant cover: rangelands that are generally grazed, meadows and forage crops (alfalfa,… View Article

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Food security

Food security is a concept defined by the access of all individuals in a population to quality food… View Article

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Food sovereignty

Food sovereignty is the right for people to decide about their own strategies and policies to guarantee their… View Article

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Food web

A food web represents all the food interactions between living organisms in an ecosystem. Among these interactions there… View Article

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Functional biodiversity

Functional biodiversity refers to the set of species that contribute to ecosystem services in an agroecosystem. In other… View Article

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G

Grass strip

The grass strip of an agricultural plot is an agroecological infrastructure formed by a linear plant cover. Depending… View Article

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Grassland plant diversity

Grasslands often contain a great diversity of plants called plant diversity. This diversity is of interest to the… View Article

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Green and Blue Infrastructure

The Green and Blue Infrastructure (Trame Verte et Bleue in french) is a tool for preserving biodiversity which… View Article

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Green manure

Green manure is a cover crop sown on an agricultural plot in order to fertilize the soil for… View Article

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Group of Economic and Environmental Interest

The Group of Economic and Environmental Interest (GIEE) is a label given by the government to recognize a… View Article

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H

High-diversity sown grassland

A high-diversity sown grasslandis a grassland which is sown with a diversity of species and varieties. The sowing… View Article

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High Environmental Value Agriculture

High Environmental Value (HEV) Agriculture is a French certification created and supervised by the Ministry of Agriculture, Agri-Food… View Article

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I

Integrated farming

Integrated farming is a form of agriculture aimed at minimizing the use of inputs from outside the farm… View Article

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Integrated animal health management

Integrated animal health management can be defined as all the knowledge and practices used by the farmer and… View Article

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Integrated water resources management

Integrated water resources management (IWRM) is the application of the principles of sustainable development to the water sector…. View Article

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Integrated weed management

This integrated management combines all uses of the preventive methods to limit the emergence and development of weeds… View Article

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Intercropping

Intercropping is an agricultural practice whereby at least two species are cropped  together during a significant period of… View Article

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L

Lagooning

Lagooning is a treatment process of sewage water based on the biological balance of a set of artificial… View Article

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Learning network

A network is similar to a range of actors who interact and share a common purpose: together they… View Article

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Legumes

Legumes are plants whose fruit is a pod. Most of these plants have bacteria on their roots which… View Article

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Living lab

The living lab is an innovative participative approach (participatory approach) which involves the user. Its purpose is to… View Article

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Low input cropping systems

Low Input Cropping Systems (LICS) tend to optimise on-farm resources and minimize purchased off-farm resources such as fertilizers,… View Article

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M

Mountain livestock farming based on permanent grasslands

Mountain livestock farming based on permanent grasslands makes very little use of mineral fertilizers and pesticides. In the… View Article

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Multi-purpose breeds

The term multipurpose breed is generally applied to cattle that are exploited for both milk and meat ability…. View Article

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N

Native breed

Subdivision of an animal species that has been domesticated by humans for breeding and selection. According to the… View Article

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Natural mating

Natural mating is the act of reproduction between a male and a female when the latter shows signs… View Article

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O

One Health

The concept of one-health aims at taking into account the interdependencies between the health condition of animals and… View Article

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P

Population variety

A variety is a set of related individuals within the same species, with a set of common characteristics,… View Article

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O

Organic agriculture

Organic agriculture is a production method based on agricultural practices which exclude the use of synthetic biocides and… View Article

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Organic inputs

Organic inputs are derived from the processing of plant and animal products that the farmer brings to his… View Article

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P

Participatory approach

A participatory approach means that the person in charge of solving a problem or designing an innovation involves… View Article

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Participatory plant breeding

Participatory breeding is a collective mode of genetic improvement of plants which brings together different stakeholders, including researchers,… View Article

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Peasant farming

Peasant farming is an agricultural mode of production, defined by ten interconnected rules, such as seeking self-sufficiency in… View Article

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Peasant seeds

The term peasant seeds, relative to the seeds of plant origin, refers to all or part of a… View Article

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Perennial plant cover

Frequently used in large-scale farming, the perennial plant cover is a plant cover that remains in place for… View Article

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Permanent agriculture

Permanent agriculture is defined as an integrated and progressive production system inspired by natural ecosystems. It is also… View Article

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Permanent grassland

Permanent grassland is a herbaceous plant cover which has been settled for a number of years. It is… View Article

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Permanent plant cover

Successive alternation of annual cash crops and cover crops, so that the soil is always occupied by controlled… View Article

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Planned biodiversity

Planned biodiversity (or controlled biodiversity) is defined as the biodiversity chosen by the farmer. It is made up… View Article

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Precision agriculture

Precision agriculture aims to reduce the use of agricultural inputs in agricultural plots. Thanks to different means and… View Article

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Precision breeding

Precision breeding is a set of techniques that combines various innovative digital tools: sensors (movements, temperature), detectors (cameras,… View Article

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Prophylaxis

In the context of plant and animal production, prophylaxis consists of developing and using a set of practices… View Article

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R

Re-localization of agriculture

The re-localization of agriculture means bringing producers and consumers closer together.. The re-localization of agriculture favors short food supply… View Article

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Reduced-tillage

Set of various techniques to prepare the soil at varying depths but without turning over the soil. This… View Article

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Resilience

The concept of resilience, used by many disciplines, refers to the ability of a system to overcome disturbances… View Article

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Rotational grazing

Grazing is the action whereby livestock feeds freely on a pasture. There are several ways of managing livestock… View Article

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S

Self-medication on pasture

Self-medication on pasture refers to the behavior of ruminants in consuming plants that may have a beneficial effect… View Article

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Service plants

Service plants are a group of plant species that are cultivated in order to improve agroecosystem functions. They… View Article

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Social and Solidarity Economy

Social and Solidarity Economy (SSE) groups together economic activities of social utility. According to the law of July… View Article

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Soil biological fertility

Ability of soils to provide the essential elements (mainly nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium) to plant growth through the… View Article

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Soil conservation agriculture

Agriculture based on three main agronomic principles applied simultaneously: direct sowing without any soil tillage, permanent (plant or… View Article

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Soil health

Soil health is the soil’s capacity to function in the long term as a living system, i.e. capable… View Article

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Soil life

All organisms which live, during all or part of their life cycle, on the soil surface or in… View Article

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Sustainable agriculture

Sustainable agriculture is a management of the agricultural production aiming at minimizing it environmental impact by optimizing the… View Article

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Sustainable development

The Brundtland Report defines sustainable development as development which meets the needs of the present without compromising the… View Article

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Sustainable food for farmed animals

Sustainable food for farmed animals aims at providing them with nutrients via raw vegetable matter that represents part… View Article

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Sustainable food systems

Food systems refer to the rules of functioning, the modes of organization, the technologies and practices that determines… View Article

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Sustainable management of soil organic matter

Set of practices used to increase or maintain the quantity (and/or quality) of organic matter in agricultural soils… View Article

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Systemic approach

The systemic approach refers to an analysis method; a way to handle a complex system with a global… View Article

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T

Territorial Food Strategies (The)

The Territorial Food Projects (tfp), in French « Projets Alimentaires Territoriaux (PAT) », is an initiative defined in the French… View Article

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Territorialised food system

Territorialised food systems are an emerging alternative to the globalized food system. The globalized food system, structured by… View Article

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Traditional know-how

Agricultural know-how are skills acquired through experience or apprenticeship as a farmer. Referring to traditional know-how involves the preservation and… View Article

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U

Urban agriculture

Urban Agriculture (UA) is a form of farming within and around cities. Due to urban characteristics (spatial constraints,… View Article

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V

Varietal mixture

Varietal mixing is an agricultural practice that consists of sowing a heterogeneous mixture of varieties of the same… View Article

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