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The Territory Agronomy Approach in research, education and training

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Farming Systems Research into the 21st Century: The New Dynamic

Abstract

Landscape and territory agronomy analyses the two-way relationship between farming practices and land patterns. It takes into account both agro-environmental and socio-economic processes. A conceptual framework is presented to facilitate understanding of the complex interactions between the disciplines that contribute to this new field of research. We discuss the organisational issues that arise at various spatial and temporal scales during the development of territory-based case studies and research projects. The territory agronomy approach is a participatory action science. Building on our experiences, we propose a conceptual research-education-action platform for land management and territorial development. It demonstrates that the Territory Agronomy Approach is an iterative process where researchers, teachers, trainers and stakeholders develop new questions and methods through participation. These characteristics make the territory agronomy approach adapted to promote the territorial dimension in research, education and training activities on farming systems.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Full papers available at: http://ifsa.boku.ac.at/cms/index.php?id=62

    Full papers available at: http://ifsa.boku.ac.at/cms/index.php?id=112#c290

  2. 2.

    See: http://www.agroparistech.fr/Masteres-Specialises-Advanced.html

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Acknowledgments

We want to clarify that the development of the Territory Agronomy Approach is an ongoing process which results from various interaction the authors have in their research projects and education and training experiences. We are therefore grateful to all colleagues, students and stakeholders we have interacted with in the past years, and all participants to the 2008 and 2010 IFSA sessions on ‘Education in Landscape and Territory Agronomy’. We want to express special thanks to the following people for their significant contribution to the development of the Territory Agronomy Approach: Enrico Bonari, Paolo Bàrberi, Marc Benoit, Patrick Caron, Claudine Thenail, Hélène Rapey, Teresa Pinto-Correia and Davide Rizzo. Thanks again to Davide for preparing the Fig. 12.4, the Landscape and Territory Agronomy framework.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. INRA and AgroParisTech, UMR Métafort, Clermont-Ferrand, France

    Sylvie Lardon

  2. Institute of Life Sciences, Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, Pisa, Italy

    Anna-Camilla Moonen, Elisa Marraccini, Marta Debolini & Mariassunta Galli

  3. VetAgroSup, UMR Métafort, Clermont-Ferrand, France

    Salma Loudiyi

Authors
  1. Sylvie Lardon
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  2. Anna-Camilla Moonen
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  3. Elisa Marraccini
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  4. Marta Debolini
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  5. Mariassunta Galli
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  6. Salma Loudiyi
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Sylvie Lardon .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Feistmantelstrasse 4, Vienna, 1180, Austria

    Ika Darnhofer

  2. Livelihood Systems, Agricultural and Rural, Shrewsbury Road 59, Church Stretton, SY6 6EX, Shropshire, United Kingdom

    David Gibbon

  3. , SAD, INRA, INRA - Clermont-Theix, Saint-Genes-Champanelle, 63122, France

    Benoît Dedieu

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Lardon, S., Moonen, AC., Marraccini, E., Debolini, M., Galli, M., Loudiyi, S. (2012). The Territory Agronomy Approach in research, education and training. In: Darnhofer, I., Gibbon, D., Dedieu, B. (eds) Farming Systems Research into the 21st Century: The New Dynamic. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-4503-2_12

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