International Meeting for a Living Agriculture
20-24 February 2019 – The International Meeting for a Living Agriculture is organized by Ver de Terre Production in collaboration with the association Pour une Agriculture du Vivant. The conference will address the agronomic fundamentals of a living soil, agroecological practices across sectors, in France and abroad, as well as advances in cooking and processing allowing to apply key values of products resulting from across agroecological sectors, from the field to the consumer’s plate.
The conclusions of the first edition of the International Meeting for a Living Agriculture will be presented on February 24, 2019 at the SIMA, the Paris International Agribusiness show located at the Parc des Expositions of Paris Nord in Villepinte.
Information
Location: Cité Internationale Universitaire – Paris (February 20 to 23) & SIMA (February 24)
Date: February 20th to 24th
Audience: Scientists, farmers, restaurant owners, wholesalers and institutions.
Tickets: from €100 to €600
Objectives: Discussing the agronomic fundamentals of a living soil (agroecology), specific to each sector, with feedback on experience in France and worldwide. Establishing the link between catering professions, distribution and processing and raising the question of quality preservation in products grown on a living soil (nutritional/taste, environmental/ecological, economical/social).
« The soil needs to be fed in order to feed the men »
An agriculture on a living soil is based on the principle that « the soil needs to be fed in order to feed the men. »
No tillage, the use of permanent ground cover and agroforestry allows to maximize plant production in accordance with nature’s self-fertility cycle.
These new farming methods share the same principles based on plant engineering and are based on three pillars:
- No tillage
- Permanent soil cover
- Maximization of plant production
Soil is at the center of this new agriculture. A permanently covered, non-tilled soil, is a quality soil that is full of life.
The reduction of tillage preserves the habitat of insects, earthworms & millions of fungi, bacteria and other micro-organisms essential to the proper functioning of our ecosystems.
The use of plant covers, giant plants and the reintroduction of trees in agricultural plots enables the reconstruction of organic matter stocks in the soil.
A living soil allows plants to develop optimally when properly nourished and rich in carbon. Fertilizer is no longer needed because the soil can produce just as much, if not more, than in conventional agriculture. The restored biodiversity is the key to agricultural productivity.
The International Meeting for a Living Agriculture will be under the high patronage of Marcel Bouché, who is a Chevalier of the National Order of Agricultural Merit, as well as a world-renown Agronomist and Earthworm Specialist.
Stephane Le Foll, Former French Minister of Agriculture (or rather, the very first Minister of Agroecology) and Founder of the international initiative 4 per 1000, will be the guest of honor in this event.
This meeting is part of a worldwide agenda of events and gatherings on the question of agroecology and living soils: Soil & Nutrition Conference by BioNutrient Food Association or the Living Soil Symposium by Regeneration Canada in March 2019.
Early Program
Day 1 – February 20: Opening and Afternoon session on: Key Role of Trees in the Fertility of Agricultural Systems.
With the French Agroforestry Association (AFAF)
12:30 – 18:30 at the Cité Universitaire – Paris
Speakers: Fabier Balaguer, Ernst Zürcher (Forester), Dominique Mansion (Bocage Specialist), Benoit Noël, Marceau Bourdarias (Expert in Vine Pruning), Gérard Ducerf.
Day 2 – February 21: Restoring Living Soils, Cross-border Challenges
Agronomy & Feedback from the Field
8:30 – 12:30 at the Cité Universitaire – Paris
Speakers: Claire Chenu (Soil Scientist, AgroParisTech, INRA), Jean-Pierre Sarthou, Nicolas Hallegouet, Andrew Cocup.
14:00 – 19:00 at the Cité Universitaire – Paris
Speakers: Don Reicosky (Soil Scientist, USDA), Ademir Calegari (Agronomist specialized in Direct Seeding, FAO Consultant), Odette Ménard (Agronomist Specialized in Biological Activity, MAPAQ, Canada), Jean-Luc Forrler, Trey Hill, François Mulet, Antonio Pereira, Christian Abadie.
Day 3 – February 22: The Living Agriculture, from Conventional to Organic
Sharing a Common Agronomy, Base for Building Sustainable Agricultural Sectors
With Pour une Agriculture du Vivant
8:30 – 12:30 at the Cité Universitaire – Paris
Speakers : Sylvain Trommenschlager (Agronomist, Specialist of early wheat), Olivier Husson, Mickael Geloen, Pierre Pujos (Organic Farmer), Felix Noblia.
14:00 – 19:00 at the Cité Universitaire – Paris
Speakers : Anton Sidler (La Vache Heureuse), PADV (Sébastien Roumégous, Jean-Philippe Quérard, Xavier Dubreucq).
Day 4 – February 23: Living Soils as the Basis for « One Health »
Water, Nutritional Value, Animal, Plant and Human health
With Bleu Blanc Coeur
8:30 – 12:30 at the Cité Universitaire – Paris
Speakers: Konrad Schreiber, Jean-François Sarreau, Pierre Emmanuel Radigues, Didi Pershouse, Alfred Gassler, Jill Clapperton, Donald R. Davis.
14:00 – 19:00 at the Cité Universitaire – Paris
Speakers: Marc André Sélosse, Pierre Weill (copresident Bleu Blanc Coeur), Gerald Pollack, Marc Henry, Dan Kittredge.
Day 5 – February, 24: Closing Sessions
14:00 – 19:00 at the SIMA (Villepinte, Paris)
Speakers: David Montgomery, Frédéric Thomas, Odette Ménard, PADV (Konrad Schreiber, Alain Canet, Arnaud Daguin & François Mulet).
Building on this farmer-initiated movement, our ambition is to amplify the development of these agronomic practices across the supply chain of the agribusiness while preserving the nutritional value across the food chain, from the farmer’s to the dinner’s fork!
MEDIA & PARTNER
If you wish to attend or support our action, please contact us by email at colloque@verdeterreprod.fr
TICKETS
Early-bird rates until December 15, 2018.