Grignon Energie Positive: Ecological intensification for the society and the planet.

Solvay Group IMS 2009 seminarMarion Barral – October 2009

Innovative agriculture: Ecological intensification for the society and the planet. Solvay Group IMS 2009 seminar - Marion Barral – Céréopa/AgroParisTech. 2

Origins and context of the « Grignon Energie Positive » programme


AgroParisTech’s experimental farm in Grignon

Where?40 km South-West from Paris. 546 hectares.

Cattle120 dairy cows > 1,2 million L milk/year.500 meat sheep.

CropsCereals, fodder crops, grassland, energetic crops.

Direct sellingShop on the farm.

Processing and

conditioningBottled milk, yoghurts and

cream.

Education10 000

visitors/year: schools, general

public, professionals.


Our sustainability ambition and goals:The “3 Ps”

PLANET

PEOPLE

PROFIT

Feed the planet

Positive energy farm

Carbon neutral

farm


A greenhouse gas measuring and accounting tools panel

Static chambers to measure crops’ nitrous oxide emissions.

Fitting necklaces to measure cows’ methane emissions.

Gas chromatography to measure out greenhouse gas.

The environmental performance dashboard, to trace all incoming and outgoing flows on the farm.

PerfAgro P3, simulating the impact of the implementation of different technical options on three parameters: Profit, Planet and Population.


Results of the 1st carbon assessment of the farm in 2006

Total : 17 000 000 MJ fossil fuel and 2 800 tons eq. CO2 in 2006.

Fossil fuel consumption of 100 persons ;

Greenhouse gas emissions of 440 persons.

The Grignon farm feeds 7500 to 9500 persons.

==


Results of the 1st carbon assessment

of the farm in 2006

Main fossil fuel consumptions items.

Main greenhouse gas emissions items.


Actions taken since 2005

High milk productivity/cow (approx. 10 000 L milk/cow/year).

Minimal soil work (no till whenever possible).

Introduction of more

legumes in crop

rotation.

Cows grazing when they are not in

production.

Cattle diet change (rape cake, industry co-products…).

Improvement of the agricultural waste management practices.

Energetic crops field trial.


The path to progress….

- 40% fossil fuel consumption-17% greenhouse gas emissions

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The Grignon yoghurt fossil fuel and carbon profile in 2008

*Agricultural production: item including the production of milk at the Grignon farm (60%) as well as the milk powder incorporated to the yoghurts (40%).


An example of innovation:Chaff* harvest

*Chaff is made up of glumes, hulls, unthreshed heads and pods, short straw, leaf

material, and whole or cracked kernels or seeds from cereal, oilseed and pulse crops. Weed seeds are also a major component of

chaff.


The “triple win” benefits of chaff harvest

Partial weeding > less herbicides use Helps soil work minimization > less fossil fuel consumption Can be used for animal feed or as renewable energy in a biomass

boiler > optimization of the global energy balance

4% decrease + 300

persons


An example of innovation:Biomethanization

Biomethanization or biogasification is the process of decomposing biomass with anaerobic bacteria to produce biogas.

Farm waste

Urban waste: restaurants

grease, grass-cutting, etc.

Heat + electricity


Biomethanization: a “triple win” industrial ecology project

In 2012 a biomethanization unit will use 10 000 tons of cattle and diverse urban waste to produce 660 toe renewable energy. The Grignon farm will produce more energy that it needs. 81% of the current total carbon emissions will be avoided thanks to this project.


The importance of communications to involve all the stakeholders

> The professionals


The importance of communications to involve all the stakeholders

> The young generation

Grignon Energie Positive: Ecological intensification for the society and the planet.

Technology

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