Living lab leaders: Laura Maxim, CNRS / Fabrice Requier, IRD
Île-de-France (IDF) includes cities such as Paris and Versailles. This region is the densest, national economic leader and with the highest percentage of urbanised land. However, about 50% of the region is covered by agricultural land and 25% by forests. The LL is dedicated to techniques of food production practices of individuals who use gardens as spaces to produce their own food – family gardens or allotment gardens, and of small-scale organic farmers of the region (<3 hectares). The focus will be on how these practices consider pollinators – e.g., by including them in their production logic, providing them habitats and food resources (selecting relevant crop species, planting wildflowers, preserving unmanaged areas for nesting, etc.) or protecting them by avoiding the use of pesticides.
Pollination challenges: There are 1.5 million individual houses in the IDF, most of which have individual gardens. Despite the fact that land in the IDF is three times more expensive than elsewhere in France, a third of people who live in individual houses consider gardens as a place to produce their own food. In terms of agriculture, the area under organic farming has tripled in the last 5 years, reaching 740 hectares used by 192 market gardeners. Potential impacts on pollinators of actions of all these individuals and farmers can be significant and will be assessed. In return, the state of pollinators can have an important impact on the region’s food production capacity.
Anticipated results: The IDF LL will study the relationships between types of land use, farming techniques and pollination services in small-scale food production systems. It will identify and produce a typology of small-scale food production practices and techniques, and related “social profiles”. Moreover, the IDF LL will assess the dependence of food production on pollination services, and explore the potential benefits of specific production practices and techniques to limit pollination deficits. The LL’s observation sites include: 20 family gardens, 5 allotment gardens and 10 organic micro-farms in market gardening. The LL devises how-to advice for implementing pollinator-friendly practices in family gardens, urban allotments and small-scale farming to enhance their pollinator abundance and diversity, food productivity and social sustainability.
Actors involved: Individuals, Organic Farmers, Agence Régionale de la Biodiversité (ARB IDF), Groupement d’Agriculteurs Biologiques IDF, Town Halls in Ile-de-France (Saint-Hilarion), Allotment/family gardening NGOs.
Notice for participants in the Île-de-France Living Lab: