PREFALIM / Policy Brief :Agroecology: a viable and sustainable solution to feed local territories, France and Europe

The work presented here challenges a common misconception: organic farming is not inherently less productive than conventional farming. Under a given soil and climate context, organic and conventional farms align along the same yield–nitrogen fertilisation curve, demonstrating the potential for an ecological intensification of organic agriculture.

Using a modelling approach that tests coherent reconfigurations of agri‑food systems—including reduced consumption of animal protein, renewed crop–livestock integration, and long crop rotations with legumes—we show that it is possible to halve several major environmental impacts (greenhouse gases, ammonia emissions, nitrogen surpluses) while strengthening food sovereignty.

These results are fully aligned with FairCarboN’s ambition to explore robust pathways for the sustainability of agri‑food systems, and to support transitions that reconcile productivity, environmental performance and resilience.