GRAB - Groupe de Recherche en Agriculture Biologique, France

The Research Group for Organic Farming (GRAB) is composed of 15 permanent employees. GRAB has more than 30 years experience in carrying out research and extension projects in France, mainly in Mediterranean climates. GRAB's main activities are 1) research and field experiments in organic horticulture, 2) knowledge transfer and dissemination and 3) national expertise and networking in organic farming. Thanks to a bottom-up approach, GRAB has always worked in close collaboration with stakeholders and is recognised as a valuable actor by farmers as well as by scientists. GRAB has its own experimental station (2 sites) and carries out field trials in organic farms in Southern France (from Mediterranean coasts to the Alps). GRAB studies deal with several major challenges in organic farming at different time and space scales: soil fertility management, adapted cultivars, pests and diseases control and functional biodiversity.

Role in the project

GRAB will:

• design resilient cropping systems in Southern Europe (work package 2)
• implement trials comparing an innovative and resilient greehouse cropping system with a classic greenhouse cropping system. Systems will be characterized and assessed: crop yield and soil fertility assessment (work package 3), soil health and functional biodiversity (work package 4).
• Agronomic and economic data from trials will be collected to contribute to a sustainability assessment (work package 5)
• Dissemination and communication (work package 5)