Organic Agriculture
Transversal Research Unit in Organic Agriculture
CRA-W and organic farming
For more than 30 years, the CRA-W has been engaged in exploring the many sides of organic farming, from the management of natural resources to the improvement of cultivation techniques, including the promotion of biodiversity and the search for alternatives to chemical pesticides and fertilisers. This commitment was strengthened in 2013 by joining the ‘Strategic Plan for the Development of Organic Farming in Wallonia up to 2020’ (PSDAB). This commitment is being re-enforced year after year. Among other things, it is reflected in the growing number of hectares allocated to organic trials.
The « Plan Bio 2030 » ...
Since 2022, the CRA-W has been involved in implementing the Development Plan for Organic Production in Wallonia up to 2030 (Plan Bio 2030). It is the result of a participatory process, steered by the Walloon Public Service in collaboration with CRA-W APAQ-Wand the representatives of the organic sector in Wallonia (Biowallonie, Collège des producteurs, Centres pilotes, UNAB, etc.).
CRA-W is taking part on the research component of Plan Bio 2030, specialised in long-term research. This involves system experiments (implemented on market gardening, field crop and mixed crop-livestock platforms) and varietal and rootstock trials. The effect of innovative organic cropping systems on soil fertility is measured by various indicators monitored by the project Sol-Plateformes. The impact of cropping systems on the technological quality of cereals from field crop trials is analysed in tests carried out by the project TechnoCerBio.
... and more.
In addition to the research carried out as part of Plan Bio 2030, specific trials supplement the system experiments carried out on the platforms. In 2024, these projects are: AssoBio, Astippor, Biococrop, CCP-céréales, LipommBio (Walloon projects), Agroecology Transect (ABC participatory research component), InnoBreed and Robust potatoes (European projects).
All the research carried out at the CRA-W since the first regional support plan for the development of organic farming (PSDAB 2020) has been published in three collections :
Transversal projects in organic production research
In addition to the scientific research trials carried out, two tools are designed :
FREDO
This tool was created to archive both (1) scientific publications related to trials carried out by CRA-W in organic production and other trials in organic production carried out in Belgium and neighbouring countries ; and (2) requests from the sector that are addressed to the Walloon research.
Inventory of scientific expertise useful to organic production
An inventory of walloon research specialists in organic production has been drawn up and updated. In particular, this inventory should allow to quickly identify the expert to study a particular topical issue.