Analyzing the socio-technical lock-in that prevents a widespread development of diversified vegetable crop rotations to control pests and diseases. Studies on farms involved in long supply channels in south-eastern France
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Despite public incentives for a steep reduction in pesticide use, the French market-gardening sector faces difficulties implementing agroecological cropping systems that use fewer pesticides, and particularly systems that practice crop diversification. Such changes would require extensive redesigning of cropping systems. How can the transition of large, specialized farms that occupy most of France's farmland be supported? Two case studies were undertaken in south-eastern France, in which 49 actors in the agrifood system were interviewed to identify the current barriers to crop diversification and the levers that might facilitate it. Six issues to diversify crop rotations faced by marketgardeners were identified: difficult access to agroecological inputs; lack of specific machinery; lack of land; work-related barriers; lack of knowledge; and commercial barriers. Most barriers experienced by market-gardeners were linked to barriers experienced by other agrifood system actors, and were strongly interconnected. This illustrates the sociotechnical lock-in around the diversification of crop rotations to control pests and diseases. Such knowledge is a resource to further co-design innovations with the agrifood system actors, to overcome the socio-technical lock-in identified.
Language: English
Domain: Life Sciences
SDG: Zero hunger
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7212015015