Junior research scientist in territorial integration of urban agriculture

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INRAE presentation

The French National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food, and the Environment (INRAE) is a public research establishment under the dual authority of the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Research.

INRAE is recruiting researchers by open competition and offering permanent position.

It is a major player in research and innovation created on 1^st of January 2020. INRAE is a research institute resulting from the merger of INRA and IRSTEA. It is a community of 12,000 people with more than 200 research units and 42 experimental units located throughout France.

The institute is among the world leaders in agricultural and food sciences, in plant and animal sciences, and is 11^th in the world in ecology and environment. INRAE’s main goal is to be a key player in the transitions necessary to address major global challenges. In the face of the increase in population, climate change, scarcity of resources and decline in biodiversity, the institute develops solutions for multiperformance agriculture, high quality food and sustainable management of resources and ecosystems.

Work environment, missions and activities

The SADAPT joint research unit is a multidisciplinary research unit that produces knowledge on the dynamics of socio-ecological systems with a particular focus on agriculture-environment-food interactions at different levels of organization. Within the unit, you will join the Urban Agriculture team and will develop collaborations with the Proximities team of the unit, co-leader of the profile.
The Urban Agriculture team is an interdisciplinary group that brings together approaches in agronomy, geography, and economics, and works to qualify and quantify the functions and services of various forms of urban agriculture (inner- and peri-urban, low-tech or high-tech) to assess their sustainability and contribution to the processes of ecological transitions in the territories. The Proximities team conducts research on the social and economic dynamics of agricultural activities and environmental issues in both rural and peri-urban areas.

Your work will consist in producing knowledge on the processes of territorialization of urban agriculture using and, ultimately, renewing the tools and methods of urban planning in urban and peri-urban areas. By mobilizing both qualitative (field surveys, discourse analysis, network analysis, analysis of urban planning or related documents) and quantitative methods (spatial analyses), you will analyse on various scales the expected functions of urban agriculture and the policies in which they fit (food, biodiversity, climate, circular economy, etc.) or may fit in the short term (biowaste). You will focus on qualifying/identifying the different areas (locations, infrastructures, spatial organization of material flows, and related urban planning policies), networks of actors involved, and the forms of governance at work, whether formal or informal.

An initial field of investigation could be the Ile-de-France region through the TETRAE METROBIO project (Farming in Ile-de-France region: towards and for a sustainable Bioeconomic metropolitan area), which focuses on the different agricultural models in Ile-de-France. You will also be able to contribute to the European project FoodE looking at city-region food systems. You will benefit from the contacts established with local authorities (through the Exp'AU consultancy and the UMT Urban Farms, for example) and from the material already collected by the two teams through their projects. By working from the point of view of land-use planning on the links between resources from organic recycling and development of urban agriculture, you will be likely to join the BETTER metaprogramme. All of these orientations will insert your research into the unit's project, which aims to inform the decisions of public and private actors to develop social and technical innovations that strengthen the sustainability of agriculture.

Training and skills

Candidates must have a PhD or equivalent.
A PhD in geography, planning, or urbanism is highly recommended. Training in geography, urban planning, or urbanism that you will be able to apply to the dynamics of territorialization of urban agriculture would be desirable. Experience in the use of both qualitative methods (field surveys, discourse analysis, network analysis, analysis of urban planning or related documents) and quantitative methods (spatial analysis) applied to agriculture in its respective settings would be desirable. A good command of French is required. Interdisciplinarity, the ability to interact with different disciplines, autonomy, and the ability to lead and build research projects would be appreciated.
Candidates should have a good command of English (both written and spoken), and long-term international experience would also be desirable. Successful candidates who have not yet acquired this experience abroad will be required to do so after their probationary period (1st year).

INRAE's life quality

By joining our teams, you benefit from:

- 30 days of annual leave + 15 days "Reduction of Working Time" (for a full time);
- parenting support: CESU childcare, leisure services;
- skills development systems: training, career advise;
- social support: advice and listening, social assistance and loans;
- holiday and leisure services: holiday vouchers, accommodation at preferential rates;
- sports and cultural activities;
- collective catering.

For international scientists: please visit your guide to facilitate your arrival and stay at INRAE.