« Digitalisation des systèmes agri-alimentaires : perspectives des SHS »

The present request for support aims to support the organisation of virtual sessions linked to a thematic conference on the digitalisation of agri-food systems from the perspective of the SHS (Human and Social Sciences), organised jointly by the SFER (Société Française d’Economie Rurale) and #DigitAg (Institut Convergences Agriculture Numérique), and a special issue of the journal Economie Rurale, to be produced from the best contributions of the conference.

The conference was initially planned to take place in person on 26-27 May 2021 in Montpellier, on the site of the Institut Agro, before the October containment period and the implementation of the latest sanitary measures in force. The current health situation makes it unlikely that researchers and professionals located outside France will be able to participate. Yet the digital transition is crucial for agriculture and food systems in both the North and the South. In order to keep the conference open to all those interested in or contributing to this theme (e.g. Aminou Arouna from Africa Rice on digital consulting in West Africa), the option of organising virtual sessions for participants located abroad was considered at the beginning of the year.
It is in order to organise these sessions that this punctual support is requested, but also to open the special issue of the journal Economie Rurale to this potential audience, by encouraging the submission of articles in both French and English to practitioners located outside the national territory via the offer of editorial assistance.