Colloquium organic farming + climate warming. at Clermont-F

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International scientific and professional symposium Organic agriculture and climate change.
Contribution of organic farming and our food choices to the greenhouse effect 17 and 18 april 2008 Enita Clermont, Lempdes, France
ENITA Clermont, School of Agricultural Engineers of Clermont-Ferrand, has been working on the issue of organic farming for more than 10 years.

The reality of climate change due to human activities and its consequences in terms of climatic accidents (droughts, floods ...), biodiversity loss, health risks, etc. are admitted by a large majority of people, but to what extent does the practice of organic farming reduce this high impact?

Agriculture is the main source of two of the gases responsible for global warming. Methane emissions come mainly from the digestive tract of ruminants and the fermentation of livestock effluents (manure, droppings, slurry). Those of nitrous oxide come from nitrogen fertilization and, to a lesser extent, from livestock manure. In total, agriculture contributes in France to the greenhouse effect up to 19%, and, including the upstream and downstream sectors, to more than 30% of emissions, all sources combined.

All these data pose three questions in relation to the directions of agriculture, and in particular for farmers and consumers who opt for organic products:

1. To what extent does the practice of organic farming reduce this high impact?

2. What can be changed in the techniques of this mode of production and in our eating habits to go even further in reducing this impact?

3. How will climate change affect organic farming?

Conference objectives

The objectives of this international scientific and professional conference are:

- to take stock of current knowledge on this theme,

- to highlight the indisputable data, but also the gaps, still numerous, in our knowledge, in order to determine the research needs,

- to shed light on possible actions at the level of decision-makers, farmers, the various actors in the agri-food chain and consumers,

- promote exchanges between scientists and professionals.


Participants will include Bernard Seguin Research Director at the Agroclim Unit in Avignon and Jean-François Soussana, Research Director at the Agronomy Unit in Clermont Ferrand. Both contributed to the writing of the 4 IPCC report published in 2007 etc.


More information on the conference

>>> Download the full program:
http://www.mdrgf.org/pdf/Programme_coll ... 170408.pdf

>>> Contact: Annabel Barthélemy ENITA conference secretariat Clermont, Marmilhat, BP 35, F-63370 Lempdes Tel: +33 (0) 4 73 98 13 29 / Fax: +33 (0) 4 73 98 13 90 Internet: www.enitac.fr

>>> Venue of the conference: Marmilhat site - BP 35 - 63370 Lempdes Tel. : 04 73 98 13 13 - Fax: 04 73 98 13 00

>>> Dates: April 17 from 9 a.m. to 19 p.m. followed by a buffet and April 18 from 8:30 a.m. to 18 p.m.

Saturday morning possibility to visit a farm in organic farming market gardening or exploitation in organic farming breeding