Postdoctoral Research in Sociology: What Forms of Acceptance for Diversifying Field Crop Systems Under the Pressure of Climate Change?

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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

• The position is available at INRAE Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, in the UMR Agroécologie. The UMR brings together 350 permanent and contract staff to understanding to achieve economically- and environmentally-sustainable cropping systems. The ADVENSYS hub develops expertise ranging from systemic agronomy, the ecology of cultivated/self-propagating plants and invertebrates (beneficial and pests), genomics, modelling, and environmental change, to socio-environmental conflicts. The post-doctoral position will support the research work on the consequences of climate change under the research project TRANSFORM, funded for by the EU HORIZON Mission: Adaptation to Climate Change (HORIZON-MISS-2023-CLIMA-01-01 call) until 31st May 2029. TRANSFORM will work in 7 of the 11 nations of the Atlantic Biogeographic Region of Europe, uniting 18 research and technical partners. The work of the project is to innovate crop rotations as climate change solutions that meet the economic, agronomic and environment needs of Europe’s regions and farmers. The project will develop tools and methods to support EC, EU Member States, Regions and Associated Countries in progress towards the goals of the EU Mission: Adaptation to Climate Change.
• Your training and/or experience will have given you a sound understanding of the agricultural world, and of innovations in the agricultural field under the effect of environmental pressures. You should be able to communicate internally and externally in both French and English. The position requires excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to work well with a wide range of stakeholders (researchers, agricultural education teachers and students) in France.

• Your activities and duties will consist of:

  • Developing a research project on the adaptation and evolution capacities of the agricultural world, by specifically addressing a public in training (engineering students, agricultural schools, young farmers in training) 
  • Organising meetings together with the teachers in the various institutions
  • Having this young public evaluate and validate the proposals stemming from the research project TRANSFORM.

• Context and objectives : Overall, the objective of TRANSFORM project (HORIZON-MISS-2023-CLIMA-01-01) is to:

  - Detail the agro-ecosystems desirable for the future (horizon 2035-2050), collaborate with farmers to conceive and innovate new rotations in each of the studied regions.

  - Use these innovative rotations to model the multifunctionality and the ecosystemic services they offer.

  - Involve stakeholders in the evaluation of these multifunctional results and ecosystemic services, by comparing them to the regions’ specific needs in terms of agro-ecosystems. This process aims at determining the acceptability of each innovative rotation.

  - Map the social, economic and environmental results of the acceptable rotations, in order to contribute to a future planification, fairer and adaptative for the industry faced with the climate change challenges. 

The person recruited will take place in the WP4 (task 4) 'Evaluate’ (Evaluation of social, environmental and economic impacts of crop rotation with farmers and other stakeholders), that aims to:

• Co-create, structure, refine and exchange knowledge on performance and sustainability indicators with the stakeholders.
• dentify climate change adaptation scenarios, based on crop rotations.

• Meet the social, economic and environmental challenges of sustainability and resilience.

  In practice, the person recruited will be tasked with facilitating workshops to understand the decision-making processes of future farmers and their attitudes towards current and future crop rotations. The person recruited will also have the opportunity to work in collaboration with Danish socio-economists (Kobenhavns Universitet) and the Asociacion BC3 Basque Centre For Climate Change. 

  Special requirements:

  - Good interpersonal skills, ability to listen and build trusting relationships.

  - Workshop facilitation 

  - Organisation of focus groups with young participants, in collaboration with the teaching teams.

  - Realisation of semi-structured interviews.

  - Experience in the analysis of qualitative data.

  - Aptitude for the publication of reports and scientific articles.

  - Good command of written and spoken English and French.

   

Training and skills

• PhD in Sociology, Social Sciences or Economic Sciences 
• Knowledge required: Knowledge of the functioning of adaptation and innovation in the agricultural world.
• Appreciated experience: excellent interpersonal qualities, and ability to work with a wide range of actors (researchers, teachers, students) in France.
• Ability to analyse data independently
• Skills sought: teamwork, interest for agroecology, basic knowledge in agronomy, awareness of the consequences of climate change 
• Driver’s license required

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.

In joining the UMR Agroécologie, you will enjoy an ideal work-life balance. As an INRAE employee, you will have access to all services offered by the institute.

France is renowned for its aids for parents and its public services (health system and public hospitals, schools, transportation, etc.). Located close to the wine-growing hillsides of the great Burgundy wines, Dijon, renowned for its gastronomy, is a city with a rich past. Located 1h40 from Paris and 1h from the Jura mountain range, it enjoys extremely varied landscapes and natural habitats.

How to apply

I send my CV and my motivation letter