The Priority Research Programmes and Equipments (PEPR) "FairCarboN" aims to bring together the entire French scientific community studying carbon in continental ecosystems. This programme is funded for six years (2022-2028).

FairCarboN studies the carbon cycle with the aim of identifying ecological, agronomic and socio-economic levers and trajectory scenarios to reach carbon neutrality and restore natural resources within continental ecosystems. This programme provides support for the implementation of these scenarios locally and nationally and also provides the scientific community with numerical models that have been tested and approved using open data sets.

 Two funded projects by FairCarboN involve a study site in Zimbabwe :

-        ALAMOD « Vers des modèles de dynamique du carbone dans les écosystèmes partagés, validés sur un outil de benchmark incontournable » https://www.pepr-faircarbon.fr/projets/projets-cibles/alamod

The objectives of the ALAMOD project are (1) to identify and complete the datasets produced by the sites/networks presenting carbon stock evolution (soil and biomass) operated by, or in collaboration with the French community; (2) to develop innovative methods based on infrared spectroscopy and satellite imagery to complete these datasets; (3) to develop a data repository and portal to make these datasets easily available; (4) to compare the models of carbon dynamics in ecosystems developed by, or in collaboration with the French community on these datasets; (5) to improve these models or to develop new ones in order to accurately simulate the evolution of carbon stocks at different spatial scales and for different land covers.

The ALAMOD project will be implemented for 6 years (2022-2029).

-        CrosyeN « Cropping System Experiment Network » https://www.pepr-faircarbon.fr/projets/projets-cibles/crosyen

The CrosyeN project is an infrastructure project dedicated to supporting long-term “cropping systems” experiments. These experiments are set up to design and evaluate more sustainable agroecological cropping systems, adapted to new climatic conditions, and which will contribute to the objectives of carbon neutrality and agroecological transition in the agricultural sector. CrosyeN aims to network, consolidate and promote system experiments established in different pedoclimatic conditions (4 sites in France and 4 tropical sites) in order to test and compare the multi-criteria performance of combinations of agronomic levers (such as the diversification of species cultivated in space and time, the maximization of soil cover, the reduction or elimination of mechanical operations, the significant introduction of legumes, etc.) and cropping systems, in particular to enlighten decision-makers in their choices of orientation of public policies. In particular, the project will strengthen the levels of instrumentation and human capacities on the experimental sites, notably in order to guarantee a homogeneous base of measurements, carried out according to common protocols in the network, and will develop methods for the evaluation of the multidimensional performances of the cropping systems tested (in comparison with reference cropping systems) thus shedding light on the different dimensions of sustainability. This analytical framework will make it possible to evaluate in a transversal and multi-site manner cropping systems including different levels of biodiversification and agro-ecologization of agricultural practices.

The CrosyeN project will be implemented for 5 years (2022-2028).