The research carried out at the Nouvelle-Aquitaine Poitiers centre
The centre undertakes research focusing on agroecology and the design and sustainable management of grasslands, territories and livestock production.
Grasslands and territories
Focal points at INRAE for research into sown grasslands, the teams at the Nouvelle-Aquitaine Poitiers centre carry out work at all levels, from molecules to territories; they explore the various roles played by grasslands in terms of landscapes, animal feed and ecosystem services.
Three main themes are addressed
- understanding the operation of grasslands combining several species and designing productive, low-input grasslands resilient to climate change;
- studying the impact of grasslands on the various components of the environment and highlighting the associated ecosystem services in fields of cereal crops and in wetlands;
- designing efficient and sustainable forage systems based on grass and grazing for ruminant livestock.
Units working on grasslands and territories
- Multidisciplinary research unit on Grasslands and forage crops (URP3F)
- Lusignan experimental unit on Forages, environments and ruminants (FERLUS)
- Experimental farm in Saint-Laurent-de-la-Prée (DSLP)
- Experimental unit on Bees, landscapes, interactions and cropping systems (APIS)
- Resilience contracted unit with the CNRS’s Centre for Biological Studies of Chizé (CEBC-CNRS)
Livestock production
The centre boasts considerable experimental resources and skills enabling it to tackle the livestock farming challenges of today and tomorrow: meeting the needs of a wide range of consumers while generating income for farmers, avoiding negative environmental impacts, and taking societal expectations into account.
In addition to disciplinary approaches to genetics and reproductive physiology, the centre develops systems approaches to suckler and dairy cows, pigs, goats and poultry. These integrated studies allow it to design and assess livestock production systems with an eye towards sustainability. This work is carried out in conjunction with various local sectors and stakeholders.