L’étude des souks hebdomadaires de l’Anti-Atlas occidental du Maroc met en évidence la situation paradoxale de ces institutions économiques et sociales séculaires, qui est représentative de ces états d’entre-deux caractérisant le processus de recomposition et d’adaptation des sociétés rurales du Sud, entre tradition et modernité, entre ancrage territorial et intégration dans les dynamiques globales. Sur la base d’une étude empirique, cet article éclaire les mutations fonctionnelles de ces souks, caractérisées notamment par la prédominance du commerce des produits alimentaires, le recul des activités artisanales et la faible présence des activités de service, signe d’une accentuation de la dépendance des souks aux pôles urbains régionaux. Ces mutations n’altèrent pas pour autant l’ancrage territorial de ces souks, attestant de la capacité de résilience et d’adaptation de ces plateformes marchandes traditionnelles.
Cet article analyse l’intégration de l’agriculture dans la planification de la métropole parisienne, de l’échelle régionale jusqu’aux projets locaux. L’étude des schémas directeurs régionaux entre 1913 et 2024 révèle une prise en compte tardive des fonctions environnementales de l’activité agricole. Longtemps appréhendés comme réserve foncière face à l’étalement urbain, les sols cultivés sont désormais reconnus comme une infrastructure écologique et paysagère majeure. La planification délaisse le modèle continu de Ceinture verte au profit d’une approche réticulaire en archipel. Des enquêtes qualitatives menées dans neuf enclaves agricoles montrent que cette pensée environnementale se concrétise localement par un urbanisme agro-écologique, selon trois trajectoires : expérimentale, multifonctionnelle ou de redynamisation territoriale. En liant ces sols aux trames vertes et bleues, ces projets cherchent à concilier relocalisation alimentaire, préservation de la biodiversité et régulation climatique.
Urban livestock farming is a topic that has received little attention in French research to date. Although these operations primarily involve endangered breeds, they have a clear productive component linked to a dual environmental objective: preserving domestic biodiversity and enhancing wet meadows. Regardless of the animal species involved (cattle, sheep, or donkeys), extensive grazing in these settings can take two forms: eco-grazing and eco-pastoralism. In Nantes metropolitan area, the use of a local cattle breed — the Nantaise — is associated with eco-pastoralism, even though the term itself is rarely used. Indeed, the goal set out in the local food system strategy is to support a micro-supply chain for products derived from these cows, which graze on many of the area's wet meadows. The initiative is structured by L’Étable Nantaise – an entity that is both an association and a multi-stakeholder cooperative (SCIC) – involving citizens. As Vertou example shows, from this ecosystem emerges a complex system of “commons” to be developed with a long-term perspective, addressing current societal expectations.
This study assessed the effectiveness of multifunctional half-moons (DLMF), an agro-environmental innovation implemented in 2017, in comparison with conventional half-moons (DLC), which have been used in Niger since the 1980s to restore degraded soils. The objective was to highlight the differentiated yet complementary effects of DLC and DLMF on soil properties. An experimental design was established, including three treatments: an untreated control plot, a plot equipped with DLC, and a plot equipped with DLMF. Analyses focused on the hydrodynamic and physico-chemical properties of the soils. The results show that both types of soil and water conservation structures induced a textural enrichment in fine particles, which was more pronounced under DLMF. Bulk density decreased, while porosity increased significantly, reaching +55% under DLMF compared to the control plots and +12% compared to DLC. Saturated hydraulic conductivity increased from 20 mm h⁻¹ in the control plots to 70 mm h⁻¹ under DLC and 95 mm h⁻¹ under DLMF, confirming the superior performance of DLMF (p= 0.002). Soil chemical properties improved by more than 200% for organic matter, cation exchange capacity (CEC), and exchangeable bases. However, DLC showed better performance in terms of chemical and biological enrichment than DLMF, particularly for carbon, organic matter, and nitrogen (p
This paper outlines the origins and methodology of the participatory research network "CoCultures," which brings together gardeners, market gardeners, associations, local authorities, and researchers in the Occitanie region of France. These individuals are engaged in a collaborative approach to the co-creation and experimentation of vegetable intercropping (VI) in urban areas. The objective is to shed light on the interplay between agrobiological and sociological approaches in the network-based study of VI adoption dynamics. To robustly document the agrobiological aspects, the experiment is conducted on approximately one hundred sites with varying soil, climate, and farming practices. Given the crucial role of access to information and social capital in the adoption of new agricultural practices, this paper analyzes how market gardeners and gardeners appropriate and understand VI. Questions concerning soil health and its microbiota bring together stakeholders involved in global health: biodiversity, plant health, food quality, and ultimately, individual health. Following the concepts definition, agrobiological and sociological methods are presented. The convergences and divergences observed between the concerns of stakeholders involved in implementing conservation agriculture, as well as between different disciplines, are then discussed in order to consider hybrid indicators of conservation agriculture sustainability.
