Transforming the agricultural production system is essential to address environmental challenges and human health concerns. The economic dimension at the farm level is crucial for enabling a large-scale transition to agroecology. The PERFECO project focuses on understanding the economic challenges of transitioning to agroecology. By gaining insights into these economic aspects, PERFECO aims to support a broader and more sustainable shift in agricultural practices.
Funders : Terra ISARA
Agroecology appears today as a response to major global challenges such as food security, preservation of natural resources and adaption to climate change. Since the late 2000s, there has been a growing recognition of the need to integrate a socio-economic dimension into agroecology. However, this socio-economic aspect still requires further exploration and research to produce results that can effectively guide public policies. Such policies could pave the way for a large-scale transformation of the agricultural sector, balancing environmental sustainability with economic viability. By deepening our understanding of the economic dimensions of agroecology, we can better support a more sustainable, resilient, and inclusive agricultural future.
project scale
The project operates on a regional scale, specifically within the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes (AURA) region of France. It focuses on three main areas of agricultural production: livestock farming, cereal production, and market gardening.
Project objectives
The PERFECO project has two main objectives:
- First, to study the economic performance of farms in relation to their level of agroecological transition, in order to investigate whether economic performance can align with the implementation of agroecological practices.
- Second, to identify which economic models can support this balance and understand the role of public and private actors in encouraging farmers to transition towards agroecology.
By exploring these questions, PERFECO aims to provide insights and solutions for a more sustainable and economically viable agricultural sector.
One of the key challenges of the agroecological transition lies in defining economic frameworks that support this shift. At the farm level, this first involves rethinking how economic performance is designed and assessed, adopting more holistic, long-term approaches that integrate social and environmental dimensions; it then entails designing and supporting economic models that are integrated within value chains and effective within this broader perspective.
Materials and methods
The PERFECO project is based on data collected from farms located in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, mainly in the Rhône, Ain and Isère departments, but also in Savoie, Haute-Savoie and Drôme. This data was obtained from interviews with farmers and their accounts.
To analyse this data, an original, mixed approach has been developed, combining quantitative and qualitative data analysis.
- Economic performance is assessed in a multidimensional way through the objectives of viability, economic independence, transferability and efficiency of the production process, in line with the IDEA4 framework, which we are using for the project
- Economic models are analysed using a widely used framework, that of Osterwalder & Pigneur, which we adapt to make it relevant in the context of agroecology.
- We also use the OASIS tool to capture agroecology.
ISARA project team
- Edwige Fain – economist, project leader PERFECO
- Ioanna Mouratiadiou – economist
- Benjamin Richard – agronomist
- Laura Solaroli – agro-economist
- Alexander Wezel – agroecologist