FrançaisAgro-silvo-pastoralism is a production activity that combines pastoralism (extensive livestock husbandry on pastures) and agriculture in a partially wooded environment.... Read more
Agrobiodiversity, or agricultural biodiversity, is the part of biodiversity recognized as a resource by farmers for agricultural production. It corresponds... Read more
An “agroecological infrastructure” is the term used for any agroecosystem’s habitat in or around which a spontaneous vegetation, essentially composed... Read more
The term transition refers to the process by which the principles governing a system are radically altered, resulting in a... Read more
Agroecology aims to promote sustainable food systems, respectful of people and the environment. These systems involve agricultural production methods and... Read more
An agroecosystem is a cultivated ecosystem, generally corresponding to the spatial unit of a farm and whose ecosystem functions are... Read more
The health of an agroecosystem is its ability to develop and self-sustain the production of a diversity of ecosystem services.... Read more
Strictly speaking, agroforestry is a practice where crops are associated with trees planted in the same plot (see JORF). But... Read more
Allelopathy refers to all the biochemical interactions among plants, or between plants and microorganisms. The origin of the word comes... Read more
Alternative agriculture is defined as production systems that do not use conventional methods. They aim at following the concept of... Read more
Anaerobic digestion is the naturel process of the degradation of organic matter in the absence of oxygen. This treatment of... Read more
In 2018, ANSES (French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety) has defined animal welfare as ‘the positive... Read more
Associated biodiversity and planned biodiversity are the two components of biodiversity. Associated biodiversity is the part of biodiversity that naturally... Read more
Autofertility defines a soil able to preserve its own fertility, i.e. how easy it is for a plant to benefit,... Read more
Autonomy is defined as the independence of an actor and/or a system from the exterior. This concept refers to the... Read more
Biocontrol comprises using living organisms or natural substances to prevent or reduce damage caused by harmful organisms (animal pests, weeds... Read more
Biodynamic agriculture is an alternative farm management mode, free from synthetic inputs. It has participated in the development of organic... Read more
Biofumigation is an agronomic practice that consists of finely grinding a plant cover set up during the fallow period and... Read more
A biological input is a living organism or element of biological origin (e.g. nettle manure), as opposed to elements of... Read more
Set of interactions and transformations operating within agroecosystem biotechnical systems. Biological regulation integrates the concepts of natural regulation, pollination and... Read more
A hardy breed, in a broad sense, is a breed which has little demands, requires little care, and can ensure... Read more
Closing nutrient cycles is a process which aims to compensate the exit of mineral elements that are necessary for animals... Read more
Collaboration is a kind of social interaction involving direct and voluntary exchange of views among people. It aims at a... Read more
Conservation biological control is a method to protect crops against pests. It consists in managing these pests by protecting and... Read more
A cover crop is established between the harvest of a main crop and the sowing of the next main crop.... Read more
A crop auxiliary, in a broad sense, is a living organism that provides ecosystem services to facilitate agricultural production. It... Read more
Crop-livestock farming is an agricultural production system which combines one or more crops (intended for sale and/or feeding of animals)... Read more
Crop rotation consists of the organization of the succession of crops on a given field. The rotation is organised in... Read more
Crop plan refers to the organization of the different types of crops which are annually distributed on the Utilised Agricultural... Read more
Direct seeding under cover crop is an agricultural technique whereby a crop is sown directly in a vegetation cover without... Read more
Early spring grazing is an early grassland management type done by grazing. It is usually conducted on hay meadows as... Read more
Ecologically intensive agriculture (EIA) is an agricultural way of production based on the sustainable use of ecosystem services in agroecosystems.... Read more
Ecopathology is a systemic investigation approach to livestock health, which consists of studying the pathologies of farm animals in their... Read more
Ecosystem services are defined as the goods and services that humans can get from ecosystems, directly or indirectly, in order... Read more
Extensive livestock production is an animal farming system characterised by a low productivity per animal and per surface. It uses... Read more
A farm’s resilience is its ability to cope with disturbances or to come back to a routine regime following these... Read more
Feed autonomy on a farm is assessed through the balance between feed (fodder, grains, cakes, etc) production on the farm... Read more
Fodder comes from different types of plant cover: rangelands that are generally grazed, meadows and forage crops (alfalfa, meslin, corn... Read more
A food web represents all the food interactions between living organisms in an ecosystem. Among these interactions there is for... Read more
Grasslands often contain a great diversity of plants called plant diversity. This diversity is of interest to the botanist for... Read more
Green manure is a cover crop sown on an agricultural plot in order to fertilize the soil for the following... Read more
A high-diversity sown grasslandis a grassland which is sown with a diversity of species and varieties. The sowing is carried... Read more
High Environmental Value (HEV) Agriculture is a French certification created and supervised by the Ministry of Agriculture, Agri-Food and Forestry... Read more
Integrated farming is a form of agriculture aimed at minimizing the use of inputs from outside the farm by implementing... Read more
Integrated management of animal health consists in combining preventive and therapy actions, preferably without the use of drugs (particularly antibiotics... Read more
Integrated water resources management (IWRM) is the application of the principles of sustainable development to the water sector. Within a... Read more
This integrated management combines all uses of the preventive methods to limit the emergence and development of weeds to facilitate,... Read more
Intercropping is an agricultural practice whereby at least two species are cropped together during a significant period of their growth.... Read more
A network is similar to a range of actors who interact and share a common purpose: together they make up... Read more
Legumes are plants whose fruit is a pod. Most of these plants have bacteria on their roots which fix atmospheric... Read more
The living lab is an innovative participative approach (participatory approach) which involves the user. Its purpose is to solve complex... Read more
Low Input Cropping Systems (LICS) tend to optimise on-farm resources and minimize purchased off-farm resources such as fertilizers, pesticides, mineral... Read more
The term multipurpose breed is generally applied to cattle that are exploited for both milk and meat ability. Their milk,... Read more
Subdivision of an animal species that has been domesticated by humans for breeding and selection. According to the rural code,... Read more
The concept of one-health aims at taking into account the interdependencies between the health condition of animals and humans in... Read more
Organic agriculture is a production method based on agricultural practices which exclude the use of synthetic biocides and genetically modified... Read more
Organic inputs are derived from the processing of plant and animal products that the farmer brings to his crop in... Read more
A participatory approach means that the person in charge of solving a problem or designing an innovation involves people who... Read more
Participatory breeding is a collective mode of genetic improvement of plants which brings together different stakeholders, including researchers, farmers, facilitators,... Read more
Peasant farming is an agricultural mode of production, defined by ten interconnected rules, such as seeking self-sufficiency in all of... Read more
The term peasant seeds, relative to the seeds of plant origin, refers to all or part of a plant organ... Read more
Frequently used in large-scale farming, the perennial plant cover is a plant cover that remains in place for more than... Read more
Permanent agriculture is defined as an integrated and progressive production system inspired by natural ecosystems. It is also an ethical... Read more
Permanent grassland is a herbaceous plant cover which has been settled for a number of years. It is characterized by... Read more
Successive alternation of annual cash crops and cover crops, so that the soil is always occupied by controlled plants. The... Read more
Planned biodiversity (or controlled biodiversity) is defined as the biodiversity chosen by the farmer. It is made up of different... Read more
Precision agriculture consists in reducing the use of agricultural inputs in agricultural plots. Thanks to different means and methods, it... Read more
The re-localization of agriculture is the rapprochement between producers and consumers. In this context, the root “local” in “re-localization” is... Read more
Set of various techniques to prepare the soil at varying depths but without turning over the soil. This evolution of... Read more
Grazing is the action whereby livestock feeds freely on a pasture. There are several ways of managing livestock grazing and... Read more
Ability of soils to provide the essential elements (mainly nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium) to plant growth through the action of... Read more
Agriculture based on three main agronomic principles applied simultaneously: direct sowing without any soil tillage, permanent (plant or organic) soil... Read more
Soil health is the soil’s capacity to function in the long term as a living system, i.e. capable of insuring... Read more
All organisms which live, during all or part of their life cycle, on the soil surface or in the soil,... Read more
Sustainable agriculture is a management of the agricultural production aiming at minimizing it environmental impact by optimizing the inputs (phytosanitary... Read more
The Brundtland Report defines sustainable development as development which meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of... Read more
Sustainable food for farmed animals aims at providing them with nutrients via raw vegetable matter that represents part of a... Read more
Food systems refer to the rules of functioning, the modes of organization, the technologies and practices that determines the ways... Read more
Set of practices used to increase or maintain the quantity (and/or quality) of organic matter in agricultural soils through the... Read more
The systemic approach refers to an analysis method; a way to handle a complex system with a global point of... Read more
“A food system includes all agents, services and institutions responsible for the production, distribution, access, consumption and storage of food”... Read more
Agricultural know-how are skills acquired through experience or apprenticeship as a farmer. Referring to traditional know-how involves the preservation and transmission of... Read more
Urban Agriculture (UA) is a form of farming within and around cities. Due to urban characteristics (spatial constraints, land uses,... Read more