Temporary position OT-28085
Research engineer / Mapping food and nutriment self-sufficiency indicators in France
91120 Palaiseau
INRAE presentation
The French National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food, and Environment (INRAE) is a major player in research and innovation. It is a community of 12,000 people with 272 research, experimental research, and support units located in 18 regional centres throughout France. Internationally, INRAE is among the top research organisations in the agricultural and food sciences, plant and animal sciences, as well as in ecology and environmental science. It is the world’s leading research organisation specialising in agriculture, food and the environment. INRAE’s goal is to be a key player in the transitions necessary to address major global challenges. Faced with a growing world population, climate change, resource scarcity, and declining biodiversity, the Institute has a major role to play in building solutions and supporting the necessary acceleration of agricultural, food and environmental transitions.
Work environment, missions and activities
Context
The reorganization of food systems to ensure healthier diets, environmental sustainability, and resilience has become a strategic priority in France. Recent shocks—such as the Covid-19 pandemic and disruptions in international trade following the Russian-Ukrainian conflict —have reignited a classic question: how self-sufficient is France in providing food for its population? Despite being a major agricultural country, France presents structural imbalances between what it produces and what it consumes. While cereals generate substantial surpluses, other categories such as fruits, vegetables, fish, and several animal products show persistent deficits. These dynamics reveal a deeper dependency on external inputs, including synthetic fertilizers and high-protein feed such as soybeans.
To better understand and address these issues, it is important to focus on the territorial dimension of food production, taking into consideration relatively small scale (Li et al., 2021; Pinsard and Accatino, 2022). Achieving national self-sufficiency goals requires recognizing this heterogeneity: some regions will be able to meet or exceed local demand, while others will depend on interregional complementarities. It is then important to explore optimised configurations taking such heterogeneity into account and interactions with other factors (Mamassi et al., 2024).
Job description
Scientific context and motivations
In WP3 of the SouvNUTRI (ANR-funded) project we aim to explore self-sufficiency both in terms of food items and in terms of nutritional elements at the territorial scale. The analysis is carried out at the scale of the French department of Small Agricultural Regions. We also aim to develop a multi-criteria optimization model to explore how national dietary scenarios can be translated into local-level production configurations. The work involves modelling agricultural production, calculating food self-sufficiency indicators and explore optimised configurations of land use and livestock allocation. A core deliverable is a set of interactive maps that allow users to explore levels of self-sufficiency across territories and understand trade-offs between objectives. It is therefore fundamental that the potential candidate knows tools for user-interactive visualisation.
Actions and responsibilities
We are looking for a motivated research engineer to support the quantitative analysis, mapping (with user-interactive representation), and optimization tasks of the project on territorial food self-sufficiency in France. After doing this, one study region will be considered for a more qualitative and local analysis.
- Calculate indicator of self-sufficiency in different departments in France, considering calories and nutriment components
- Build and deliver user-friendly maps of the indicators for allowing on-line exploration
- Explore multi-criteria optimisation scenarios
- Consider one study region for in-depth qualitative analysis
The relative importance of these actions proposed will strongly depend on the profile of the person recruited. The details of the project can be adapted to the interest and main competences of the candidate.
References
Li, Y., Sun, Z., Accatino, F. (2021). Spatial distribution and driving factors determining local food and feed self-sufficiency in the eastern regions of China. Food and Energy Security, 10, e296.
Mamassi, A., Guilpart, N., Muneret, L., Accatino, F. (2024). Water-cropland resources and agricultural management shape the main interactions with food self-sufficiency goals. Global Food Security 44 (2025): 100841.
Pinsard C., Accatino, F (2022). European agriculture's robustness to input supply declines: A French case study." Environmental and Sustainability Indicators 17 (2023): 100219.
Conditions The recruited person will stay in UMR SADAPT (INRAE – AgroParisTech – 22 place de l’Agronomie, 91120 Palaiseau, France), specifically in the team CONCEPTS. - Contract 18 months IR - Office and desktop - Smart working up to 3 times per week upon agreements - Remuneration depending on degree and experience - 75% refunding of public transport pass - You will be expected to participate to the activities of the SouvNUTRI project, at the same time, you will be invited to participate to the scientific activities of the lab UMR SADAPT.
Training and skills
Research profile desired
- Strong skills in data analysis and indicator calculation (R or Python)
- Knowledge of agriculture and food systems
- Experience with spatial data and agricultural data
- Very important: Ability to design interactive maps (e.g., Shiny, Dash, Leaflet, Mapbox, Plotly)
- Familiarity with optimization methods or willingness to learn
- Capacity to work independently and integrate into a multidisciplinary team
INRAE's life quality
By joining our teams, you benefit from (depending on the type of contract and its duration):
- up to 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.
How to apply
I send my CV and my motivation letter
All persons employed by or hosted at INRAE, a public research establishment, are subject to the Civil Service Code, particularly with regard to the obligation of neutrality and respect for the principle of secularism. In carrying out their functions, whether or not they are in contact with the public, they must not express their religious, philosophical or political convictions through their behaviour or by what they wear. > Find out more: fonction publique.gouv.fr website (in French)