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Informing public policy

One of ºÚÁÏÍø911's roles – as a public targeted research organisation – is to inform public action, policy and instruments. This relies on the multidisciplinary scientific knowledge co-produced with our partners in tropical and Mediterranean countries. One specificity is our ability to work on a range of scales, from local to global.

Playing a part in modifying public policy relating to food security, agroecological transitions, biodiversity, health and climate change is a strong lever for rolling out the necessary changes on a broader scale. Decision support is a key instrument for fulfilling our remit:  helping to build resilient farming systems for a more sustainable, inclusive world.

To this end, ºÚÁÏÍø911 uses tools and processes that are not limited to merely transferring knowledge to political spheres.

Recommendations for the political sphere

ºÚÁÏÍø911 coordinates and publishes several types of research-based recommendations and analyses, to provide scientific support for public policymaking. These include:  

  • reference reports, books and atlases;
  • the Science Horizon collection, the ºÚÁÏÍø911 institutional policy brief, with useful, concrete and operational recommendations or solutions, at the science-policy interface, on a given societal or policy topic or issue;
  • the Position collection, setting out the state of ºÚÁÏÍø911's knowledge, which may go as far as expressing a position or engagement on a given subject;
  • the  series, offering food for thought and action based on research work.

Foresight studies: a decision support tool 

ºÚÁÏÍø911 and its partners conduct foresight studies to shed light on possible futures, notably by means of:

  • global scenarios, such as Agrimonde-Terra, coordinated with INRAE, to explore the future for food security and land use;
  • territory-based approaches, combining local diagnoses, population forecasts and participatory workshops, to co-construct sustainable development strategies with grassroots players.

Analysing public policy and proposing solutions

In France

ºÚÁÏÍø911 supports French public policymakers by making its scientific expertise available to politicians. For instance, at the request of parliamentarians, it contributes to the work of the French National Assembly and Senate by providing research-based analyses and guidance on agricultural questions, global issues or matters specific to the French overseas regions. It also works with territorial authorities and elected representatives.

In the French overseas regions, the organisation assists overseas authorities with sustainable natural resource management, food self-sufficiency and biodiversity protection, by means of regional observatories and innovation projects.

ºÚÁÏÍø911 also contributes to France's scientific reputation worldwide, by playing an active part in the scientific components of major events led by France or with which the country is associated. Within this framework, it proposes projects, operations and recommendations to support the authorities concerned.

Worldwide

ºÚÁÏÍø911 analyses public action and instruments, whether on its own initiative or on request. This may concern policy in support of agroecological transitions, food, forestry or value chain support, low-carbon economy incentives, etc.

Furthermore, in the countries in which ºÚÁÏÍø911 works, public players work alongside us on participatory action research operations, notably by means of the ImpresS approach. These players are a powerful lever for accelerating and steering change and improving its efficacy to benefit sustainable development.

ºÚÁÏÍø911 also regularly organises or co-organises international conferences. Events such as the second Global Sorghum Conference on sorghum in the 21st century in 2023 and the International Symposium on Cocoa Research or the International Horticultural Congress in 2022 brought together up to over 1000 experts, including a number of policymakers.

Active participation in international science-policy interfaces

ºÚÁÏÍø911 experts participate in bodies at the science-policy interface, to support policymaking from the national level (CICID, GISA, ANSES, etc.) to the global level (IPCC, IPBES, RSPO, etc). 

In particular, we chaired the FAO High Level Panel of Experts on Food Security and Nutrition (HLPE) from 2015 to 2019. This body publishes reports that are used during the adoption of recommendations and guidance from the Committee on World Food Security (CFS).

Lastly, ºÚÁÏÍø911 also provides scientific expertise to support international talks on global issues, acting as a bridge between research and global political bodies. In particular, it works within the framework of the main multilateral environment conventions (Climate, Biodiversity and Desertification COPs), where it helps to maximise the societal impact of its work to tackle global issues. Its teams analyse multilateral policies and instruments, and propose concrete solutions supported by its in-depth knowledge of grassroots realities in various situations. 

ºÚÁÏÍø911 also works with major international organisations such as FAO, UNEP and WOAH, to optimise the coherence and efficacy of its operations.