Various projects propose both systemic analyses of the land functioning and more deterministic analyses to better describe the transfers mechanisms between the soil-plant-atmosphere compartments. The link between these different analyses is to converge towards a spatial integration and coupling of different modelling approaches that explicitly consider spatial and temporal variability of agricultural areas. Moreover, their sustainability in relation to their capacity to provide ecosystem services in a changing environment under climatic and anthropogenic constraints is considered, in order to guarantee sustainable plant production in terms of quantity and quality and to preserve the environment.

The scientific team project is based on three main axes:

1. Water cycle analysis

• Evaluation of agricultural surfaces contribution to water flows and water quality (surface-aquifer interaction)
• Evaluation of the evaporation/transpiration partition (evolution under GC) and the impact of practices on the functioning of agro-hydrosystems
• Integration of the uncertainties’ determination in surface flux estimates (for water balance monitoring)
• Automated interpretation of soil moisture measurements performed by dielectric methods

     2. Land use dynamics

• Linking agricultural activities to ecosystem services
• Definition of eco-climatic indicators (feasibility analysis and/or crop potential) at the landscape scale
• Impact of CC on phenology
• Assessment of bioaerosol emissions related to cropping practices

      3. Development of decision support tools

• For fertilization and irrigation: estimation of soil water properties by inversion of crop models
• Optimization of input management For scenarios, resource management for sustainable development 
• For scenarios, resource management for sustainable development