Rice and the Camargue: towards sustainable agroecosystems

For more than 30 years, rice cultivation in the Camargue has been a veritable research and experimentation laboratory for the Innovation joint research unit. During this time, the unit’s teams have studied and supported the innovations developed and adopted by the sector’s actors. Jean-Claude Mouret has been the kingpin of this major research programme. To cap his career at INRA, he has just published a book, in collaboration with Bernadette Leclerc, that presents the current state of knowledge on this agriculture in transition, with the contributions of 50 authors, including about 15 present or past members of the Innovation joint research unit.

Rice cultivation and the Camargue: this is an association that is so firmly rooted in the landscapes and in the functioning of the agroecosystem that it seems immutable. How, indeed, can we do without this cereal suitable for submerged conditions, the only one able to take advantage of the water needed for desalination of the soil without compromising this territory’s entire agricultural activity? And yet, the durability of rice cultivation remains uncertain, subject to competition, price fluctuations and a large and growing number of environmental constraints. How to secure sustainability to rice cultivation in the Camargue? This is the central issue of the research projects conducted by INRA in partnership with various research and development organizations and with the rice industry. This book presents the main results of this research obtained over the past 30 years on rice agronomy, the technical and economic management of farms, rice supply and value chains, environmental impacts and the cultivation of organic rice as a source of promising innovations. The book is intended for a wide audience of researchers, technicians, teachers and students of the life and nature sciences, rice farmers and stakeholders in the rice sector, and public-policy makers.

Mouret J.-C., Leclerc B. (eds) (2018). Le riz et la Camargue : vers des agroécosystèmes durables. Cardère Editions - Educagri, 508 p.

Published: 14/06/2018