Co-designing agroecological fruit production areas: a multi-scale and multidimensional approach

Abstract: Diversification at different scales is a way to reinforce ecosystem services. However,
the implications of such diversification are seldom considered comprehensively in design
processes. We analyzed, over the 2017-2024 period, the design process of an experimental
pesticide-free agroecological area for fruit production, located at INRAE Gotheron.
Diversification of crop species, cultivars, companion plants and habitats was the basis of the
approach, and co-design involved a diversity of stakeholders (farmers, advisers, researchers,
teachers, naturalists). The design embedded interconnected scales that were worked on
simultaneously or successively depending on the objectives and the design step. The approach mainly targeted ‘pest suppressive’ processes. At the plot scale, resource sharing in time and space between productive and associated plants as well as ergonomics were also considered. The supraplot scale (10 ha) encompassed the spatial distribution of crops and habitats that contributed to the local agroecological landscape, as well as workload, allocation and organization. Finally, at the territory scale, the socio-technical system related to the marketing of fruit was embedded. Evaluation encompasses various criteria to account for different dimensions, scales, and a range of ecosystem services. First results attest to the need for methodological developments in the design-management-evaluation of complex agroecological systems and the importance of codesign to achieve the tradeoff between agronomic, ecological, organizational and socio-technical dimensions. Further research is still required but the present analysis opens avenues for agroecological design in perennial crops.