Aerial view of rows of greenhouses
Journal articles
Global greenhouse cultivation area revealed by satellite mapping
This article, using satellite data and artificial intelligence (AI) techniques, seeks to map the global prevalence and rate of expansion of greenhouse cultivation, or food grown under the cover of thin plastic films or glass roofs. The authors present their method as an improvement to geospatial image analysis for greenhouse cultivation coverage. They claim this new method can aid efforts aiming to better understand the environmental and socio-economic impacts of greenhouse cultivation infrastructure expansion.
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Image: Medium-sized market garden growing 5 ha for the local market, in Bouches-du-Rhône.
Essay
Beyond the label: assessing the spectrum of practices in French organic vegetable farming
Antonin Pépin is a PhD candidate at the French National Institute for Agricultural Research (INRAE) and at the Technical Centre for Fruits and Vegetables (CTIFL). His research focuses on environmental assessment of French organic vegetable farms using the Life Cycle Assessment method. He has an agronomist background and has worked for an environmental NGO and for an organic waste treatment industry. You can reach Antonin at antonin.pepin@ctifl.fr. Hayo van der Werf works at the French National Institute for Agricultural Research (INRAE). His research focuses on the multicriteria assessment of the environmental impacts of agri-food systems. He mainly uses the life cycle assessment methodology and is most interested in assessing of organic agriculture production systems.
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Image: Wild0ne, Carrot produce grocery, Pixabay, Pixabay Licence
Journal articles
Influence of farm size and structure on agroecological practices
This paper, co-authored by Table member Hayo van der Werf, examines the spectrum of agroecological activity on organic vegetable farms in France. It reports that farming practices are linked to farm structure. For example, smaller farms are more likely to use agroecological practices. The paper sets out a framework that distinguishes agroecological organic farming from “conventionalised” organic farming, the latter of which involves more reliance on external inputs and supply chains that are more linked to global market prices.
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