Due to the pandemic, to counter the travel problems of the scientists in charge of component 2 in the partner countries, the Avaclim project has new study areas in France. The objective in the field in France is for the multidimensional assessment tool for the effects of agroecology to benefit from an initial period of co-design.

After an inventory and selection of agro-ecological initiatives located in the CARI area (north of Montpellier) in November 2020, the months of December and early January were devoted to meeting these initiative leaders. A total of eight initiatives were visited by the volunteer and the doctoral student, supervised by a consortium of scientists including the IRD and Montpellier Sup Agro. These initiatives are varied in form (individual and collective farms, agricultural cooperatives, farms run by a research institute), as well as in their agricultural production and activities: viticulture, market gardening, arboriculture, animal husbandry, training activities, energy production, etc. Among them, we find initiatives based on organic or biodynamic farming practices, as well as initiatives already engaged in knowledge production in partnership with researchers, or the dissemination of knowledge within collectives or work groups. All of them thus include one or more dimensions of agroecology and are sources of inspiration and learning useful to the Avaclim project.

Out of these eight initiatives, at least five are selected for the production of initiative sheets following the example of the capitalisation work carried out in the partner countries of the Avaclim project, and two for the implementation of the co-design process of the evaluation tool. This participatory evaluation process will also be carried out in Senegal.