Establishment of a participatory selection methodology for soft wheat in France

In organic farming, cropping environments and agronomic practices are highly diverse. This diversity can be taken into account through a decentralised selection process that combines farmers’ expertise with researchers’ scientific knowledge. A collaborative effort between associations and farmers from the Réseau Semences Paysannes and the DEAP research team at INRA’s Moulon site has led to the development of an innovative approach to decentralised and participatory selection at farm level. This approach makes it possible to (i) create new, locally adapted soft wheat population varieties (genetic innovation); (ii) establish an organisational model based on co-construction between stakeholders and decentralisation (organisational innovation); and (iii) develop experimental set-ups and create statistical and data management tools that support these genetic and societal innovations