Collective Innovation Boosts Biodiversity in French Vineyards

Abstract

The need to mainstream biodiversity into agricultural activities has been advocated for some time. Several approaches have been described, ranging from plot to farm or landscape scale and involving different practices. We studied the development of a biodiversity enhancing project in French vineyards based on agronomic and sociological data. We conducted interviews and farm surveys to analyze management practices influencing biodiversity both within fields and in adjacent areas not used for production. We studied farmers' motivations to join the winegrowers' association project and their perception of the importance of biodiversity in their own vineyard management. Results show that individual initiative and the farmers' association both played a key role in project development, even though people's perception of biodiversity matters and personal involvement had been extremely variable. Although the project can be considered a collective success, it remains difficult for winegrowers, individually, to take biodiversity into account in their agronomic practices.

Keywords:

• agricultural practices
• biodiversity
• ecological compensation areas
• farmers' association
• viticulture

Acknowledgments

The authors thank the viticulturists and the AOC Saumur-Champigny winegrowers association for their participation in the project. They also thank Emmanuel Torquebiau for reading the different versions of this article. The research was funded by the French Ministry of Ecology and Sustainable Land Use and Development within the framework of the DIVA program.

Notes

1. The Saumur winegrowers' cooperative is also a member of the association.

2. Field borders which provide space for turning with the machinery.

3. The substratum has been dug out and used to grow mushrooms for a long time.

4. ARDVD: Research and Development Association for Sustainable Agriculture in Vineyards.