The French Ministry of Agriculture has called for agro-ecological transitions that reconcile farming and the environment. In this review, we examine the transformations of farmers and AKIS (Agriculture Knowledge Innovation System) actors' work during agro-ecological transitions, and argue that the content, organization, and aim of farmers' work are influenced by agricultural training, agricultural development, and discussions between peers, research, and regulations. Our main findings concern those transformations. The first finding was that there is an increasing expression of local particularities (situated ecological processes, micro-climates, etc.) and farmers' singularities (e.g., relationship with nature). These particularities challenge AKIS players' forms of organization and intervention, which used to be built on generic knowledge. Our second finding was that AKIS players have to consider their action as one potential contribution to the development of farmers' experience: Their interventions become part of the flow of the farmer's activities. The question for AKIS players is then: How can farmers' own discovery of their natural and technical environment from new perspectives be facilitated? Thirdly, we found that transformations of work are systemic: The "doing", the knowledge applied, and the values and norms to which subjects refer change. Facilitating transition can no longer be considered as a problem of knowledge availability. Fourthly, production of agronomic knowledge and ways in which it is disseminated are being challenged. Not only does knowledge have to be certified by scientific norms and methods, it has also to be valued by actors if it is to have an impact. The prescriptive relationship of science and AKIS players towards farmers is likewise challenged. This review raises many questions: Do agro-ecological transitions contribute to reorienting the development of farmers' activity? Are agro-ecological transitions conducive to the development of sustainable farm work? What transformations of AKIS players' work are needed to better support agro-ecological transitions?

-The public authorities and some agricultural actors wish to develop agroecology to meet the rise of new challenges (impacts of agricultural practices on natural resources in particular). New agricultural work systems are therefore being designed, and are raising questions about the inclusion of farmers' work in the agroecological transition. Our research-action endeavours to support the development of farmers' change management. To do so, we implement a reflective tool: the "chronicle of change", which appears to be an interesting way to initiate an "enabling intervention in change management" with farmers, and to better understand their work system.

No abstract

Pour faire face aux nombreux défis techniques, environnementaux et sociaux qui s’imposent à elle, l’agriculture doit changer. Parmi les voies possibles, l’agroécologie est une forme d’agriculture qui semble prometteuse. Elle repose sur l’idée de mobiliser les régulations biologiques et écologiques dans les champs pour développer des systèmes agro-alimentaires soutenables. Une telle forme d’agriculture nécessite une transformation du travail des agriculteurs, perçus non plus comme des utilisateurs de solutions clés en main proposées par les acteurs de la R&D mais comme les concepteurs réels de leurs systèmes de production. Mais comment décrire et caractériser cette activité de conception pour permettre de penser la façon de la soutenir ? Dans cet article, nous donnons à voir quels sont les problèmes de conception que les agriculteurs peuvent affronter lorsqu’ils sont engagés dans une transition vers l’agroécologie et quelle activité de conception ils développent pour faire face à de tels problèmes. En mobilisant une méthode appelée Chronique du Changement auprès d’une dizaine d’agriculteurs, nous avons en effet été en mesure de faire émerger certains traits caractéristiques de cette activité. Nous donnons ainsi à voir un aperçu de la diversité des problèmes de conception, en insistant sur leur niveau de structuration variable et les interdépendances qui existent entre ces problèmes, ce qui permet de souligner le caractère systémique de la transformation du travail dans laquelle sont engagés ces agriculteurs. Nous analysons ensuite l’activité de conception déployée par les agriculteurs, par le biais d’une navigation dans les pôles réel, concevable et virtuel de leur activité de travail. Nous pointons notamment l’ancrage de cette activité de conception dans le réel de leur activité et l’intérêt d’identifier un pôle « concevable » pour interpréter la façon dont dialoguent le réel et le virtuel dans l’activité des agriculteurs en transition vers l’agroécologie. Enfin, nous discutons des moyens et des défis à relever pour soutenir une telle activité de conception et nous mobilisons notre expérience de la méthode Chronique du Changement pour formuler des points d’attention pour la production d’outils d’aide à la conception des agriculteurs.

This chapter describes how we supported the project leaders of TATA-BOX in their task of designing a management system for the project. We did so by fuelling their reflectivity: rather than making suggestions on how to manage the project -in a normative approach -, we analysed the on-going project management and mirrored what had been done after a year. The TATA-BOX project leaders would thus be able to decide how to adjust their management and to carry on -in a reflective approach. We report on this process in this chapter: after giving some theoretical background on the concept of reflectivity and its role in helping the project leaders to manage TATA-BOX, we describe: (1) how we worked with them over 6 months, 1 year after the project began, and (2) the different methods we used to meet the project leaders' expectations. We then discuss the efficiency of these methods, their effects on the management of the project, and some lessons learned for the management of such research projects generally.

No abstract

The series "Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing" contains publications on theory, applications, and design methods of Intelligent Systems and Intelligent Computing. Virtually all disciplines such as engineering, natural sciences, computer and information science, ICT, economics, business, e-commerce, environment, healthcare, life science are covered. The list of topics spans all the areas of modern intelligent systems and computing such as: computational intelligence, soft computing including neural networks, fuzzy systems, evolutionary computing and the fusion of these paradigms, social intelligence, ambient intelligence, computational neuroscience, artificial life, virtual worlds and society, cognitive science and systems, Perception and Vision, DNA and immune based systems, self-organizing and adaptive systems, e-Learning and teaching, human-centered and human-centric computing, recommender systems, intelligent control, robotics and mechatronics including human-machine teaming, knowledge-based paradigms, learning paradigms, machine ethics, intelligent data analysis, knowledge management, intelligent agents, intelligent decision making and support, intelligent network security, trust management, interactive entertainment, Web intelligence and multimedia.The publications within "Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing" are primarily proceedings of important conferences, symposia and congresses. They cover significant recent developments in the field, both of a foundational and applicable character. An important characteristic feature of the series is the short publication time and world-wide distribution. This permits a rapid and broad dissemination of research results. Advisory BoardChairman Nikhil R. Pal,

No abstract