Members of the Project

MSc

Lucie Zgainski

Agroof

Master Montpellier SupAgro

zgainski[@]agroof.net

Can you introduce yourself? What is your background?

My agronomy engineering course at Montpellier SupAgro focused on resource management, agricultural systems and development, and enabled me to understand agricultural production issues in all their complexity, by combining the scales of analysis and integrating different disciplines: environmental sciences, agronomy and economics. Agro-forestry and conservation agriculture are interesting ways of setting up sustainable agricultural systems that make it possible to deal with global changes in agriculture. The dynamics of carbon sequestration in the soil is a subject that interests me a lot. This is why, as part of my end-of-study internship, I am undertaking a technical and economic analysis of agroforestry systems in field crops with Agroof to study the viability of these systems in the Occitan and PACA regions.

What does carbon sequestration mean to you?

In my opinion, carbon sequestration, i.e. carbon storage, in soils and in trees for example, occurs through practices such as agro-forestry and conservation agriculture. The carbon stock depends on different factors: the return of crop residues to the soil, tillage, but also the climatic conditions of the cultivated areas.

What is your MSc issue?

As part of my final year internship, I am studying the technical and economic performance of agroforestry farms in field crops in the Occitania and Provence-Alpes Côte d'Azur regions. To do this, I carry out surveys among farmers in order to study the functioning of the farm, the production system, the technical management of the different crops and the agroforestry practices. Then I will use the FarmSAFE model to perform the economic analysis for each farm.

Joséphine Hazera

SELMET, CIRAD

MSc Internship, Agrosup Dijon

josephinehazera[@]hotmail.fr

Can you introduce yourself? What is your background?

My name is Joséphine Hazera and I am in my second year of agronomy engineering (equivalent master 1) at Agrosup Dijon (National higher institute of agronomic, food and environmental sciences). I chose to study agronomy and specifically this internship on soil carbon sequestration because I have always been interested by the issues related to sustainable development and climate change and because agriculture seems to me a sector where these issues are especially source of innovation.
I should currently be in Dakar, but the health situation has prevented it, so I am teleworking from home. Next year, I will begin my last year’s specialization (master 2) in Resources, Data, Diagnostics, Climate change. I hope that my end-of-studies internship will give me a chance to visit Africa and to work again on these issues. I also consider the possibility of applying for a PhD on these questions after my third year.

What does carbon sequestration mean to you?

To my mind, carbon sequestration by soils is an ecosystem service for farmers but also, and above all, for the entire world. Indeed, when I hear these words, I immediately think of atmospheric CO2 capture and the resulting climate change mitigation. This mitigation, which is nowadays a global issue, is even more necessary as climate change may endanger agricultural productivity and food security in many countries. Therefore, carbon sequestration by agricultural soils has, in my opinion, two complementary advantages which justify the current interest: the improvement of soils fertility and thus, of their productions in the short-term and the securing, in the long-term, of their productivity by preventing a too intense climate deregulation.

What is your MSc issue?

This internship is part of the WP3: “Socio economic, policy and environmental levers for long-term soil C sequestration at the territory level” of the DSCATT project. Indeed, the aim is to study agricultural practices, including livestock production, that promote soil carbon sequestration in agro-sylvo-pastoral systems in West Africa. I am supervised by Hugo Valls-Fox (CIRAD, UMR SELMET) and Myriam Grillot (INRAE, UMR AGIR) to adapt the TERROIR model (Grillot et al., 2018b, 2018a) to quantify carbon fluxes and soil carbon stocks. The model currently describes nitrogen fluxes in a simplified agro-sylvo-pastoral landscape. Once operational, this multi-agent system will be used to test the impact of various crop/livestock integration practices on the carbon soils sequestration dynamic of these areas. Thus, this work is, more precisely, part of the task 1 of the WP3: “Inventory and simulation of carbon and nutrient fluxes at the landscape scale in study sites of Sub Saharan Africa”.

Can you introduce yourself? What is your background?

My name is Mathilde Plessis, I'm 22 years old. I passed my degree in Economics and then I turned to the Master in Development Economics specializing in Fair International Trade and Development at the University of Toulon.

What does carbon sequestration mean to you?

For me, carbon sequestration acts as a kind of reconciliation between the environment and agriculture in the eyes of public opinion. Farmers play a central role in our societies and ecosystems, which we tend to downplay. They have a double challenge: to feed people and to preserve nature, but they are the bearers of a negative image on the part of certain ecological and vegan movements. They are also the big losers in the food chain to the benefit of the other intermediaries in the chain: agri-supplies, food industries and supermarkets.

What is your MSc issue?

My internship concerns the study of policies related to carbon sequestration in agricultural soils in France and more precisely the synergistic and antagonistic mechanisms of these policies.

Fiona Guerendel

AGROOF

MsC University of Bordeaux

guerendel[@]agroof.net

Can you introduce yourself? What is your background?

My name is Fiona Guerendel. I'm 23 years old. After graduating from the Stendhal high school in Milan, I completed a degree in biology at the University of Bordeaux. I specialized in Organisms and Ecosystems in my third year. Agriculture and agroecology started to interest me in the second year of my bachelor's degree, in an optional module on the link between science and society. Following my bachelor's degree, I joined the BEE master's program "Biodiversity, Ecology, Evolution" at the University of Bordeaux. This masters is in partnership with the agronomy school Bordeaux Sciences Agro, so I was able to join the 3rd year of specialization AGROGER "Agroecology and Agricultural Resources Management" for my second year of masters. I am now doing my internship at SCOP AGROOF on the DSCATT project

What does carbon sequestration mean to you?

In today’s setting of climate change, it is necessary to turn to a form of agriculture that is based on carbon storage in soils and plant biomass. French soils are very poor in organic matter, it is essential to increase carbon storage by increasing organic matter in order to increase productivity, as well as the efficiency of water and mineral resources usage. Of course, all while ensuring that the financial and social assets linked to the farming profession be maintained.

What is your MSc issue?

I am going to carry out a survey among field crop farmers to see what perceptions they have on the quality of their soils, as well as the doability of agroforestry and conservation agriculture practices.

Oliver Foster

the Sorbonne Institute of Development Studies (IEDES) GREEN

MsC Agricultural Development / Economic Policies

o.f.c.foster[@]gmail.com

Conceptual modelling and soil carbon sequestration

Can you introduce yourself? What is your background?

My name is Oliver Foster and I’m currently studying a master’s degree (M2) in Agricultural Development / Economic Policies at the Sorbonne Institute of Development Studies (IEDES) in Paris, France. I have been, up until now, mostly focused on issues of International Development but have recently re-orientated myself towards agricultural development. I hold both a bachelor degree in International Relations and an MSc in Latin American Development. During the latter course I wrote my dissertation on the topic of post-conflict extractivist developmentalism in Colombia and its implication for the peace process based on a political-ecology / critical geography type of perspective. Given the centrality of agrarian and rural dynamics in generating such socio-environmental conflicts, I sought to specialise on agriculture-related issues via my current masters.

What does carbon sequestration mean to you?

I have been interested in carbon credit markets and their potentially negative implications for local communities - notably their role in what is referred to as land grabbing. As such, besides from its potential climate-change mitigation and fertility virtues, soil carbon sequestration immediately brings up problems of socio-environmental justice. Beyond the mere biophysical dimensions of the matter, carbon sequestration has significant political, social, economic and cultural implications locally and must be both understood and taken into account in order to avoid conflict whilst nonetheless harnessing and making the most of its (co)benefits.

What is your MSc issue?

Given the current sanitary situation, my MSc issues have been re-orientated and now touch upon the discursive aspects of carbon sequestration. More specifically, I am interested in uncovering possible overlapping schools of thought conveyed throughout the literature on carbon sequestration in Zimbabwe and assessing that of their compatibility.

Yannick Diop

RESAD

MsC Ressources, Systèmes Agricoles et Développement

nickdiop[@]gmail.com

Conceptual modelling and soil carbon sequestration

Can you introduce yourself? What is your background?

My name is Yannick DIOP. I am coming from Senegal. I am in my last year of a master's degree in science and technology in agriculture, food and the environment. More specifically I followed the Resources, Agricultural Systems and Development (RESAD) course at the Institut des Régions Chaudes in Montpellier Supagro.

What does carbon sequestration mean to you?

For me, carbon sequestration means feeding the world, feeding the soil and mitigating climate change. By storing carbon in the soil within a long-term horizon, the physical, chemical and biological properties of the soil are improved. This can lead to an increase in crop productivity. Storing carbon in the soil also reduces the flow of CO2 into the atmosphere and ultimately mitigates climate change.

What is your MSc issue?

My internship is part of the DSCATT's WP4 and will focus on the Niakhar site in Senegal. It aims to formalize the different representations that the project's actors make on the agrosystem and its management, in order to understand the possible articulations between the different postures on the issues of carbon sequestration in agricultural soils.

Lauréne Brun-Berger

Institut Agro Montpellier AIDA, CIRAD

MsC

laurene.brun-berger[@]supagro.fr

Can you introduce yourself? What is your background?

My name is Laurène Brun Berger. I am studying at Institut Agro, an agricultural engineering school in Montpellier (France). After working in a technical advice and rural development team in the field of agroecology in Brazil and Togo during my gap year, I chose to specialize in agricultural systems and rural development in my last year of MSC. I am doing my graduation internship at CIRAD in the AIDA unit – agroecology and sustainable of annual crops.

What does carbon sequestration mean to you?

In my opinion, soil carbon sequestration is a means of mitigating climate change by storing carbon in the soil, while at the same time ensuring food security for smallholder farmers and preservation of natural resources..

What is your MSc issue?

The initial internship was about identifying the current agrarian dynamics and its main determinants (factors of production, capital, labour, soil fertility, biomass and monetary flows) in order to identify the decision rules for managing their resources in the Murehwa district, Zimbabwe.
Due to the health situation, the initial internship was modified. So now my internship deals with updating the existing farm typology based on farm characteristics and resource endowment using a household survey data, and a bio-economic modelling to identify alternative practices and systems that find trade-off and synergies between productivity, farm income and carbon sequestration at the farm level (WP2 “farm level: Farm resources and soil C sequestration”).

PhD

Loréne Siegwart

UMR ECO&SOLS

PhD Supagro Montpellier

lorene.siegwart[@]supagro.fr

Plant roots and soil carbon

Can you introduce yourself? What is your background?

After 2 years of BCPST prep-school (Biology, Chimistry, Physics, Earth Sciences) in Paris, I joined the national institute of further education in agricultural science (Montpellier Supagro) to specialize, with a 3-years course and a gap year, in soil sciences. It was during my final internship with INRA on the impact of agricultural practices on carbon sequestration that I confirmed my choice to continue my studies with a thesis on the subject of soil carbon storage.

What is your PhD issue?

Biomass production is an important lever for increasing soil carbon supply and can lead to long-term sequestration, roots playing an important role. To assess the contribution of plant roots, including deep ones, on the fate of carbon and the nutrients associated with their turnover, my thesis aims to evaluate the contribution of root biomass, the rate of roots degradation, the stability of soil carbon resulting from this decomposition and the impact of rhizodeposition on the microorganisms respiration, and therefore on the carbon cycle. This study deals with root systems of annual and perennial plants, includes the exploration of deep soil horizons and in situ approaches in two climatic zones and contrasting soil types : an old natural agroforestry park in Niakhar (Senegal) and a recent "alley-cropping" agroforestry system in Mauguio (France).

Prosper Mataruse

Center For Applied Social Sciences

PhD University of Zimbabwe

prospa.tee[@]gmail.com

Human society and soil carbon

Can you introduce yourself? What is your background?

My name is Prosper Mataruse and I am a PhD Student with the University of Zimbabwe, I come from Zimbabwe. I did my first degree (BSc Honours Degree in Sociology) and my Masters in Social Ecology at the University of Zimbabwe. I have a lot of experience in research which include a 6 months Research internship at the Center for Applied Social Sciences. I participated in an end line evaluation of fisheries project in Matebeleland North (August-October 2017). Participated in Climate Smart Agriculture and Conservation Farming research (Hwedza and Murehwa) in April 2016. I also took part in a value chain survey on non-timber forest products in December 2015 and in a household income, food security and climate change project in October 2015.

What is your PhD issue?

The title of my thesis is “Promoting sustainable social-ecological agri-cultural systems: an analysis of institutions governing the manage-ment and utilisation of carbon from forests for improved soil fertility.” My research will mainly seek to establish the current state and threats to the functioning of the social-ecological systems in Murehwa, to identify institutions responding to threats on social-ecological agricultural practices, to identify strategies employed by local communities to improve agro-ecological systems and to consider a socio-institutional framework that creates an enabling environment for effective carbon sequestrating agricultural systems. Insights will be sought on how institutions influence the dynamics of the agro-ecological systems and adoption of carbon sequestrating practices?

Khardiatou Sadio

ISRA LNRPV - LMI IESOL

PhD University of Thiès, Senegal

khardiatousadio[@]gmail.com

Soil fertility management practices and soil carbon sequestration

Can you introduce yourself? What is your background?

My name is Khardiatou SADIO and I am a doctoral student at the University of Thiès. I obtained a master's degree in sustainable management of horticultural agro-ecosystems in the Natural Sciences department of Cheikh Anta Diop University of Dakar (UCAD). It was in 2016 that I first entered the world of research, I did a 6-month internship at the LNRPV on the CORAF project "negative externalities linked to organic inputs". I participated in research on the valorisation of an industrial residue of the ICS (Chemical Industry of Senegal) which is the Shlamms (residue from rock phosphate treatment). I also monitored a composting platform in Sangalkam as part of the same project (ICS) to limit the availability of heavy metals in the Schlamms.

What does carbon sequestration mean to you?

For me, carbon sequestration meant the capacity of the soil to store carbon. An extensive review of the literature helped me understand that C sequestration was beyond the storage aspect but was involved in mitigation greenhouse gases (C02, CH4 and N2O) in the atmosphere to combat climate change. Therefore, sequestration, in addition to storage, takes into account emissions of CH4 and N2O in particular.
The first thing that comes to mind when I hear carbon sequestration is rather the major effect of C on soil health, which covers the notion of sustainability: long-term maintenance in spite of ecosystem fluctuations, stability of agricultural productivity and conservation of resources (soil and water).

What is your PhD issue?

The title of my thesis is "Impact of organic resource management methods on millet productivity and C sequestration in agrosystems of the groundnut basin in Senegal".
The research questions that will be addressed in this thesis are: What is the diversity and management of organic resources available in farm? How can variability in organic resource management impact soil carbon sequestration and millet productivity? How can the kinetics of MO mineralization and C sequestration associated with different management modalities be assessed?

Armwell Shumba

Chemistry and Soil Research Institute (CSRI)

PhD University of Zimbabwe

armwellshumba123[@]gmail.com

Conservation agriculture and soil carbon sequestration

Can you introduce yourself? What is your background?

I am Armwell Shumba, an agriculture research scientist majoring in soil science and agronomy at Chemistry and Soil Research Institute (CSRI) under the Department of Research and Specialist Services (DRSS) since 2009. I hold a BSc and MSc in Soil Science from the University of Zimbabwe. I specialized in integrated soil fertility management and soil moisture conservation during my MSc study. Currently, I am a PhD student at the Crop Science Department, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Zimbabwe.

What does carbon sequestration mean to you?

The words that immediately come into my mind are; climate change, global warming, soil greenhouse gas emissions, conservation agriculture. In agriculture, carbon sequestration is the process by which atmospheric carbon, in the form of carbon dioxide is transferred into soils in a form that is not immediately or easily re-emitted.

What is your PhD issue?

Conservation agriculture (CA) is a climate smart agroecological practice that has been widely promoted to reduce soil erosion, restore soil fertility and mitigate climate change through improved soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration. My PhD study seeks to evaluate the climate change mitigation potential of CA under sub-humid conditions in Zimbabwe through quantification of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and carbon sequestration (soil organic carbon storage). Therefore, the study seeks to unravel the sole and interactive effects of different CA pillars (reduced tillage, permanent soil cover and improved rotations) on soil GHG emissions and SOC storage in topsoil and subsoil compared to conventional agriculture (CT) practices.

Arthur Scriban

CIRAD, SELMET

PhD ED GAIA

arthur.scriban[@]cirad.fr

Conceptual modelling and soil carbon sequestration

Can you introduce yourself? What is your background?

I am a PhD student at CIRAD since October 1st 2020, about to move to Dakar for my research. I am an agronomist, I graduated from AgroParisTech, a Grande Ecole specialised in life sciences. My background is agronomy, with a master in agricultural development economics and comparative agriculture. For my master thesis, I carried out the agrarian diagnosis of Meung agricultural region, in Laos. This is a systemic, technical and economic analysis of an agricultural reality, for which I spent five months in the field. This assessment resulted in t agricultural development recommendations and the launch of a project to process and export organic and fair trade tea. I also worked on a spatial model that estimated the carbon content of soils using remote sensing data as an internship for the EcoSys research unit (INRAE, AgroParisTech, UPSaclay).

What does carbon sequestration mean to you?

Beyond climate change mitigation through accumulating carbon in soils has great potential for agriculture. Soil organic matter is a central factor in their physical and chemical fertility. Increasing its quantity also means allowing soils to provide us with many ecosystem services that go beyond increasing the added value and resilience of agricultural activity. Soil carbon dynamics are also a complex set of processes and interactions between the different components of agroecosystems, below and above the soil surface, which makes it a fabulous object of scientific research.

What is your PhD issue?

The purpose of my PhD thesis is to identify and quantify the carbon flows in a given territory, in order to assess the performances of Sahelian agrosylvopastoral systems in terms of carbon sequestration. Cattle husbandry plays a crucial role in these processes: the mobility of animals and herds is a major driver of the spatial rearrangements of organic matter. Thus, a significant part of my work will consist in simulating this mobility, which will result in a multi-agent model of the dynamics of livestock mobility and carbon flows in the system. For this, I will work in the area of the Senegalese population, health and environment observatory of Niakhar, which has the benefit for me of presenting a certain diversity of systems regarding the integration of agriculture and livestock production. Once the model is functional, I should be able to use it to simulate and evaluate a number of existing and prospective scenarios, and thus generate operational results that could be used in development or public policy recommendations, for example.

Rumbidzai W. Nyawasha

University of Zimbabwe

PhD Plant Production Sciences and Technologies

rumbidzai.aiesec[@]gmail.com

Biophysical and socio-economic drivers of soil organic carbon sequestration

Can you introduce yourself? What is your background?

My name is Rumbidzai Nyawasha a soil scientist currently pursuing a PhD at the University of Zimbabwe in the Plant Production Sciences and Technologies department. I obtained a MSc in Soil Science with a specialization in Soil Quality from Wageningen University. I am passionate about improving smallholder agriculture to make it more productive and sustainable. I have had a chance to work at TSBF-CIAT, ICRISAT and the University of Zimbabwe looking for ways to improve soil fertility and crop productivity under smallholder farming systems promoting soil fertility management practices such as conservation agriculture, use of manure, incorporating legumes and rainwater harvesting technologies.

What does carbon sequestration mean to you?

It entails increasing organic carbon stocks in the soil. For smallholder farming systems in sub-Saharan Africa this is crucial for climate change adaptation. Increased soil organic carbon improves soil biophysical properties which translates to enhanced soil productivity and improved crop yields. This is key in ensuring food security for the region.

What is your PhD issue?

My thesis is looking at C sequestration across scales under sub-humid conditions in Zimbabwe. The objective is to understand the biophysical and socio-economic drivers of soil organic sequestration from plot – farm – village level. The study will look at how long-term changes in land use patterns and management affect soil organic carbon content in a smallholder farming area. We will quantify biomass and nutrient fluxes between household types and landscape units as well as relate crop yield to soil fertility and SOC stocks. Ultimately, we will identify a combination of strategies that provide synergies between crop productivity and carbon sequestration.

Post Doc

Soline Martin-Blangy

ECO&SOLS

Post Doc (2022-2023), INRAE

soline.martin-blangy[@]inrae.fr

Roots and carbon sequestration

Can you introduce yourself? What is your background?

I hold a master's degree in agronomy and ecology from Montpellier SupAgro engineering school and the University of Montpellier. I specialized in plant ecology over the course of several research internships. I continued my research training with a PhD in forest ecology and ecophysiology in Nancy, France. During my PhD, I worked on the effect of tree-species interactions in mixed forests on tree water acquisition and light interception. In other words, I wanted to see if the functioning of a tree could be influenced by its neighbors' identities. This work was carried out in two distinct experimental systems: an observational network in mature natural forests in the south-east of France and a young experimental plantation near Bordeaux.

What will be your role and what are your objectives in the DSCATT project?

My post-doctorate project is part of Work Package 1 and Task 1.3 of the DSCATT project. The main goal is to characterize tree roots to evaluate their potential contribution to soil carbon sequestration in agroforestry systems. I am working on the DIAMS agroforestry plantation in Mauguio, France, with colleagues from the Eco&Sols research unit. To do this, we want to evaluate the effect of agroforestry on root biomass, architecture and traits of young Black Locust (Robinia pseudoacacia) grown in alley-cropping agroforestry by comparing trees between the agroforestry plots and the forest control plots at DIAMS.

Arthur Perrotton

UPR GREEN

Post Doc (2020-2021), CIRAD/IRD

arthurperrotton[@]hotmail.fr

Socioecological modelling and soil carbon

Can you introduce yourself? What is your background?

My name is Arthur Perrotton. I am a system scientist with an interdisciplinary background mixing environmental sciences, anthropology and socioecological modelling. In recent years, I conducted participatory research around socioecological issues. In Zimbabwe I facilitated the collective design of a computer-based role-playing game about agricultural practices and conflicts between farmers and protected area managers. In Senegal, I facilitated the collective identification of innovative strategies for the development of a strategic development plan for the district of Ranérou-Ferlo. Both of these projects involved participatory approaches, and mobilized various practical tools (e.g. agent-based models, conceptual models, resilience assessments), methods (interviews, questionnaires, group discussions, collective workshops) and theoretical framework (post-normal science, resilience thinking, complex adaptive systems). I am also an instructor in the Companion modelling (Commod) summer-school.

What will be your role and what are your objectives in the DSCATT project?

Within DSCATT, I participate to the WP4: "Co-design and evaluation of best-farm practices for soil C sequestration". More specifically, I will participate to the collective design of agent-based models, based on local actors’ knowledge systems and simulating their agricultural practices in relation to carbon sequestration. I will explore and compare knowledge systems found in the different study sites and eventually develop (i) agent-based models allowing researchers and farmers to explore socially acceptable alternative practices improving soil C sequestration and (ii) a meta-model of stakeholders’ representations of C sequestrations. This work will include multi-stakeholder workshops in France, Senegal and Zimbabwe.

Antoine Couëdel

INRAE/CIRAD AIDA

Post Doc - Soil plant modelling

antoine.couedel[@]cirad.fr

Soil plant modelling and soil carbon sequestration

Can you introduce yourself? What is your background?

I am postdoctoral assistant specialized in sustainable crop production and systemic agronomy at different scales (plot, cropping system, and farm). I hold a MSc in agronomy from Bordeaux Sciences Agro and a PhD from the University of Toulouse (INRAE, UMR AGIR). During my PhD I specialized in multi-services (nutrient cycle, biocontrol) enhanced by crucifer and legume cover crops mixtures. I then worked as a postdoctoral assistant at the University of Nebraska where I analyzed the spatio-temporal variability of cropping systems performances in different producing areas of wheat, maize and soybean in the USA. Those different experiences needed skills related to crop experiments, surveys, modeling and geographical information analysis.

What are your objectives in the project?

I will be mostly involved in modelling soil C and N dynamics in tropical cropping systems to explore options for climate change mitigation (task linked to the WP1). More specifically, I will use long-term experiments of selected pilot sites in Kenya, Senegal and Zimbabwe to understand the potential of conservation agriculture to sustain crop production while providing C storage under different managements. To meet that goal I will use crop modelling (parametrization of the STICS soil-crop model and multi model inter-comparison) to efficiently simulate plant growth and soil C and N under conservation agriculture systems in different climates. Model inter-comparison will be carried out with an international group of modelers (AgMIP project) in order to assess the interest of grouping model outputs to identify model improvements. I may also be involved in integrating cropping systems modelling results at the farm level (WP 2). .

Researchers and lecturers

Rémi Cardinael

UPR AIDA

CIRAD University of Zimbabwe

remi.cardinael[@]cirad.fr

Agricultural practices and soil carbon

Can you introduce yourself? What is your background?

I am a soil scientist and agronomist at CIRAD, currently based at the University of Zimbabwe. I hold a MSc in Agronomy from AgroParisTech, and a PhD in Soil Sciences from the University of Paris-Saclay. I am specialist of soil organic matter dynamics, greenhouse gases emissions and climate change mitigation under agroecological pratices, such as agroforestry systems, intercropping and conservation agriculture. I am currently a guest Editor for a special issue in the journal Plant & Soil “Agroforestry: a belowground perspective”, and another one in the journal Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment "Climate change mitigation and adaptation in agriculture: Can agroforestry be part of the solution?"

What does carbon sequestration in soils mean to you?

For smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa, enhanced soil organic carbon stocks can increase water and nutrient use efficiency, especially on sandy soils, and potentially also increase crop productivity. This is crucial as farmers have very limited access to nutrient inputs, and rainfall patterns are getting more and more erratic due to climate change. Carbon sequestration can be seen by smallholder farmers as a way to adapt to climate change and to sustain their production. In developed countries like in France, carbon sequestration is rather seen as a mitigation practice, potentially rewarded by the EU Common Agricultural Policy or by different certification labels. The objectives and the expectations from soil organic carbon sequestration are therefore very context specific, and require a full understanding of barriers and levers to unlock its potential.

What is your objectives in the project? what you are going to do?

In this project, I am in charge of coordinating all research activities in Zimbabwe. I am also co-coordinating the WP1 "Field level: Soil-plant processes: knowledge gaps" for the whole project. I am also supervising several PhD and MSc students on the Zimbabwean study site, working both on-station and on-farm trials. More specifically, we are working on long-term experiments on conservation agriculture to study changes in soil organic carbon stocks and greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide) emissions. We will use this site to test the performance of the STICS soil-crop model to predict long-term soil organic carbon dynamics in a tropical context. We will also map soil organic carbon stocks at the farm and village levels, and related it to land use, farm typologies and activities.

Kefasi Nyikahadzoi

Centre for Applied Social Sciences

University of Zimbabwe

knyika[@]gmail.com

Social science and climate change

Can you introduce yourself? What is your background?

I’am a social scientist with the Centre for Applied Social Sciences at the University of Zimbabwe. I hold a Masters of Philosophy and Doctor of Philosophy in applied social science. I’am monitoring and Evaluation Specialist with many years of experience in research-led development work in smallholder farming systems of Zimbabwe, Malawi and Mozambique. My research interests concern in the area of climate change mitigation and adaptation.

What does carbon sequestration in soils mean to you?

The high incident of food insecurity among smallholder farmers in Sub Saharan Africa is exacerbated by soil and water degradation and poor soil management practices. Degradation of forested lands and unsustainable farming systems are some of the factors causing soil and water degradation. We believe that well managed agro-ecosystems increase chances of carbon sequestration which in turn increases soil carbon content, improve soil fertility, improve and maintain soil structure, improve water holding capacity/soil water retention, fosters health soil microbial communities, counteract desertification, makes the soil resistant to both wind and water erosion as well as a climate change mitigation practice.

What is your objectives in the project? what you are going to do?

Within the Dynamics of Soil Carbon Sequestration in Tropical and Temperate Agricultural systems project, I am one of the co-coordinator of Work Package 3. VILLAGE/TERRITORY LEVEL: Socio economic, policy and environmental levers for long-term soil C sequestration. I am also supervising a PhD student working on Social, institutional, and economic context potentially driving C fluxes and sequestration and a Masters student working on Work Package 4 Co-design and evaluation of best-farm practices for soil C sequestration

Lydie Lardy

UMR ECO&SOLS - LMI IESOL

IRD

lydie.lardy[@]ird.fr

Agricultural practives and CNP cycles in soil

Can you introduce yourself? What is your background?

I’m a woman senior researcher in Soil Science at the IRD (French National Research Institute for Sustainable Development). I’m currently based at Dakar (Senegal) where I’m leading activities of the joint international laboratory LMI IESOL. I’m holding a Ph.D. from the University Pierre and Marie Curie (Paris, France, 1997) and an accreditation to supervise research (i.e. the French HDR degree) from the University of Burgundy (France, 2016), both in Soil Science. My main research topics focus on organic matter dynamics as affected by soil biological communities and in link with soil fertility (N & P) and greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions in tropical environments. My current work targets alternative management of tropical agrosystems to reach better yields while exploring co-benefits in climate change mitigation and adaptation through carbon sequestration. I published more than 50 articles in peer-reviewed journals.

What does carbon sequestration in soils mean to you?

A smart way to support smallholders in improving and innovating their management practices for multiple wins: Soil fertility & Food security; Climate change mitigation & adaptation; Biodiversity & Natural resources preservation.

What is your objectives in the project?

I’m in charge of coordinating the DSCATT activities in Senegal. I’m involved - mainly through a PhD supervision -in the WP1 "Field level: Soil-plant processes: knowledge gaps" especially the tasks 1.2 & 1.4. Thus, our activities will provide data on soil C content (using IR spectroscopy) and on the stability of the different soil C pools (Rock-Eval pyrolysis). We will also map of the stocks in soils under the various cropping systems.

Regis Chikowo

University of Zimbabwe

Professor

Michigan State University Crop productivity and soil health

Assistant Professor

regischikowo[@]yahoo.co.uk

Crop productivity and soil carbon sequestration

Can you introduce yourself? What is your background?

Professor of Agronomy within University of Zimbabwe and Assistant Professor at Michigan State University, Plant Soil and Microbial Sciences Department, I have soil science training from University of Zimbabwe and Wageningen University. My interests concern the development of agro-ecology technologies for positive outcomes on smallholder farms in Africa

What does carbon sequestration in soils mean to you?

Life in tropical African soils is being squeezed as degradation depletes soil organic matter. Life restoration has to start with approaches that trap carbon on both cropped lands and the natural environment. Now is the time to act to halt vast farmlands from elapsing into states where application of inorganic fertilizers will become futile as SOC contents drop to below thresholds for any response to nutrient additions.

What is your objectives in the project?

I supervise graduate students to collect appropriate data that informs our best bet approaches to keeping soils healthy, and thus crop productivity.

Douadia Bougherara
Raphaële Preget

Center for Environmental Economics - Montpellier (CEE-M). INRAE

Economists

douadia.bougherara[@]inra.fr

raphaele.preget[@]inra.fr

Economy and soil carbon sequestration

Can you introduce yourself? What is your background?

We are both economists and research fellows at INRAE at CEE-M (Center for Environmental Economics - Montpellier). We are working in environmental economics in agricultural context. We have a behavioural and experimental economics approach. We are particularly interested in public policies that encourage farmers to adopt more environmental friendly practices. For example, in order to better understand farmers' preferences with regard to different features of agri-environmental contracts, we are conducting so-called choice experiment surveys (stated preferences) with hundreds of farmers. Analysing of the responses with statistical and econometric treatments allows us to estimate the willingness to receive or pay for different characteristics under study. We also use experimental economics, both in the laboratory with students and in the field with farmers, to test the performance of different innovative incentives.

What does carbon sequestration in soils mean to you?

Carbon sequestration in soils is a new topic for us. Indeed, until now we have mainly worked in various reasearch projects, on the issue of water quality, in particular by reducting of the use of pesticides. The issue of carbon is a very stimulating one, as it implies a good understanding of the characteristics linked to this sequestration and storage service and requires us to take into account new dimensions in our analyses, such as the notion of additionality, saturation, permanence or even leakage and co-benefits. We consider carbon storage as a public good to preserve the climate. Consequently, its production needs to be encouraged by appropriate public policies given the specific nature of climate change. We therefore need to find incentives (monetary or non-monetary) to encourage farmers to change their practices in order to sequester more carbon.

What is your objectives in the project?

Our objectives in DSCATT are part of the WP3 in the French study site. Firstly, we are seeking to better understand the international, European and French institutional and political context in which this will to sequester more carbon in agricultural soils is taking place. Then we will try to propose innovative policy instruments likely to encourage farmers to change their agricultural practices for more sequestering practices. To this end, in collaboration with Agroof, we plan to conduct a survey among farmers to better understand their perceptions of this issue and to test some proposals for innovative measures to encourage their efforts to sequester carbon.

Fabien Liagre

AGROOF

Agro-economist

liagre[@]agroof.net

Agroforestry development and its benefits for soil carbon sequestration

Can you introduce yourself? What is your background?

After some research in France and the tropics, I created Agroof in 1996, first in Spain and then in France in 2000. The initial idea was to link research to the farmer's field. This was based on the observation that if we wanted to develop or defend agroforestry practices, we needed to strengthen links between all stakeholders (research, farmers, technicians, local authorities). Agroof's objectives have therefore been to study traditional practices, to coordinate multi-actor research and development projects according to the expectations of local actors, and to propose technical support and training. We also intervene to enhance the recognition of agroforestry through appropriate rules and regulations. That's why we co-founded the French association Arbre Champêtre et Agroforesteries, which is now a partner of the French Agriculture Ministry for the next Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). We are also member of the board of the association on conservation agriculture practices (BASE).

What does carbon sequestration in soils mean to you?

When we talk to farmers, the main objective fo them is soil restoration. One of the primary motivations of candidates for agroforestry is the impact of trees on fertility, erosion and biological functioning. In 2006, we carried out the first analyses of organic matter in old agroforestry plots. The results were surprising and led us to go further, notably via the Agripsol project, financed by ADEME. Beyond the question of the carbon balance, we are therefore thinking above all in terms of agricultural systems. In particular, how trees will eventually enable us to better manage the soil fertility of the fields. We are regularly asked about the potential carbon "premium". While the subject is important, we remain particularly attentive to the commercial and therefore agronomic malpractices that this can generate. If there is a carbon bonus, financed by public aid (e.g. within the framework of the payments for environmental services - PES of the next CAP) or private aid (with companies wishing to offset their carbon emissions), we consider that it should remain a bonus in relation to an agro-ecological practice and not become an end in itself.

What is your objectives in the project?

What will be important is precisely to better define the methodologies to be used to quantify carbon balances and the effects on agricultural systems, and to take time to work with farmers' networks so as to gather their opinions and ideas on how to take these processes into account in their farm management. At the same time, we would like to be able to communicate better on these issues with public and private partners, and also offer training courses that we hope will be less controversial and more objective for future farmers and technicians involved in these sectors.

Dominique Masse

IRD / ECO&SOLS

Soil Science and AgroEcology

dominique.masse[@]ird.fr

Can you introduce yourself? What is your background?

I am a researcher at IRD and a member of the research unit "Functional Ecology and Biogeochemistry of Soils and Agroecosystems" ECO&SOLS. My works,situated at the interface of soil science, ecology and agronomy, concern. the soil organic matter management and its impact in agricultural production, soil health and soil carbon sequestration. I have worked for 30 years now in partnership with universities and research institutions in West Africa (Senegal, Burkina Faso) and Madagascar. In addition to agrosystems on sub-Saharan savannah soils, I also address issues related to sustainable soil management in peri-urban agriculture and plantation agriculture, particularly in Côte d'Ivoire where I am currently positioned.

What is your objectives in the project?

I lead the DSCATT project in collaboration with Abigail Fallot (CIRAD). My role is to ensure the successful implementation of the project in order to achieve the objectives that we have set ourselves with our financial partners, the Agropolis Foundation and Total Fundation. One of the challenges I am committed to is to address the complexity of the soil carbon sequestration issue. This involves multi-factor and multi-disciplinary approaches. I am also in charge of communication and dissemination of the knowledge acquired by the project as well as relations with institutional partners.