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Key Focus Areas for 2006-2009

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The key focus areas of INRA are determined by major scientific issues and their relevance to the needs of and changes in society concerning food and nutrition, the environment and agriculture. Research topics, methods and professions have changed considerably in order to adapt to the complexity of today's research priorities that often require multidisciplinary approaches, adapted to the study of a global production system and worldwide exchanges, with the pooling of research expertise within the framework of partnership structures.

Preserving the environment and creating productive rural areas

The functioning of all types of farmed ecosystems – forests, natural, land, aquatic – the protection of resources and the management of rural areas are important research topics for INRA. Laying the foundation for ecoagriculture and for the development of competitive farmland, which strive to promote biodiversity and improve the environment, is a high-priority goal.

The research priorities for 2006-2009 are:

To study the management and development of biodiversity through farming and forestry and to take action to protect aquatic environments;
To identify the options for adaptation to global changes: climate change and extreme events, new public health issues and transformation of farming practices and land use;
To reduce the use of fertiliser, toxic pesticide-related pollutants and to develop integrated protection practices;
To study the production systems of bioenergies, biomolecules and plant biomaterials;
To analyse the spatial organisation of farms, ecosystems and landscapes;
To identify the interactions between ecological dynamics, human behaviour and public or collective decisions.

A healthy, balanced diet

Nutrition is central to humans’ well-being and represents a major challenge for the public health authorities. INRA’s approach to human nutrition is a global one: Its research aims to improve food quality, maintain consumer health and understand dietary behaviour in order to offer food that fulfils both needs and expectations.

The research priorities for 2006-2009 are:

To conduct an integrated analysis of consumer behaviour, including physiological, economic and cultural factors that influence eating habits, food-related choices and perception of food;
To better understand the impact of food and nutrition on physiological and psychological functions, including the role of microorganisms in the digestive tract, the relationships between nutrients and gene expression, etc.;
To gain insight into the mechanisms involved in the development of food quality;
To evaluate and prevent food-related risks;
To study the instruments of nutritional policy and to translate knowledge into nutritional recommendations.

Quality processed products that are competitive on the market

In recent years, demand for agricultural products has grown considerably, both horizontally and vertically: product quality that fulfils sustainable development standards, quality associated with specific characteristics and authenticity, and safety too.
Research conducted by INRA seeks to diversify the use of agricultural products, increase their competitiveness and control the development of their quality all along the food chain by always considering the final product right from the start. The role of microorganisms in processing is a subject of scientific importance.

The research priorities for 2006-2009 are:

To respond to new demand for products with properties suitable for various uses, for instance, products with official certification (“Designated Origin”, etc.), biofuels and biomaterials;
To address the issue of quality using a truly interdisciplinary approach;
To develop new tools for diagnosis, modelling and management of processes and technologies to fulfil existing needs;
To define the characteristics and segmentation of different sectors via a forward-looking market analysis.

Furthering our knowledge of living organisms

INRA actively participates in basic research in biology through the exploration and mastery of the most cutting-edge methods and information available. This research aims to increase our knowledge about living organisms and how they work, especially in areas relating to the organisation, functioning and evolution of genomes, and areas involving the development, adaptation, physiology and physiopathology of organisms. Underlying this research is an active conservation policy and a strong emphasis on developing biological and genetic resources.

The research priorities for 2006-2009 are:

To design technologies and methods to better describe, model and understand living organisms at various levels of organisation and interaction: molecules, organisms, populations and communities;
To understand the structure and functioning of genomes of model species or species of agricultural interest by pursuing the development of high-throughput techniques and investing in high-tech equipment;
To continue structural genomic research, including comparative mapping of species of agricultural interest and sequencing microbial, animal and plant species as well as pests, and research into molecular markers;
To gain insight into the role of genes and their interactions, in order to improve reproduction biotechnologies, among other things;
To further research on the role of epigenetics in the regulation of gene expression.

Innovative and sustainable farming systems

Research on farming practices and systems is now considered from a sustainable development point of view. It aims not only to develop genetic, agronomic and zootechnical strategies to deal with environmental changes and constraints; it also seeks to understand and promote biological and ecological processes in order to design new methods for managing agroecosystems.
Research at INRA endeavours to develop innovative solutions and farming systems that focus on environmental protection, product quality and economic viability. Special attention is paid to controlling pests and epidemic processes.

The research priorities for 2006-2009 are:

To reduce farm inputs while improving animal feed efficiency and plant stress tolerance, by reducing the use of crop protection and animal health products;
To design innovative, sustainable farming systems that take account of the various types of evaluation criteria for sustainability;
To reorient breeding and reproduction techniques by further exploring the diversity of genetic resources;
To improve plant and animal health based on knowledge about pests and host responses, and to analyse the conditions of animal welfare;
To better understand genotype-environment interactions in epidemics, from the biological and ecological mechanisms involved to the overall cost-benefit analysis of different initiatives.

Analysis of sectors and public policies

Environmental issues have earned a place in global policy objectives. What is more, due to the ties that have developed between food, farming and environmental issues, at an international level, new participants have appeared on the world stage. In addition to producers and consumers, there are also users, citizens, the European Union, foreign partners, farmers all around the world, etc. These new world players have already caused a number of major changes to take place in the support provided to agriculture and have now put forward new expectations.
In this new era where research topics often overlap with societal issues, research at INRA strives to understand and improve the organisation and strategies of these participants, to analyse the stakes involved in public policy-making, and to help develop policy, as well as anticipate future changes to be made.

The research priorities for 2006-2009 are:

To understand the organisation, decision-making processes and performance of markets, farmers, firms and institutions, while specifically analysing the interactions between public initiatives and private players’ strategies;
To analyse national and international policy and the interactions between agricultural policy and policies relating to food and nutrition, the environment and rural development;
To evaluate the consequences of public policy on international trade, growth of developing countries, the location of farms and the implementations of agricultural and agro-food policies in different countries, in terms of equity, justice and reduction of poverty;
To study the interactions amongst social and economic systems, and technical and ecological systems when setting up policies;
To take a theoretical and methodological approach to science-society relations.