Participation at the ACFAS Congress
90th edition: 100 years of knowledge for a sustainable world
May 8-12, 2023, Montreal – Canada
The University of Montreal, HEC Montreal and Polytechnique Montréal are celebrating the centenary of Acfas in 2023, with the holding of the 90th congress on their campuses.
The complex issues facing today’s society require bold, ingenious and pragmatic responses based on research, discovery, creation and innovation. The 90th congress, which will have the theme 100 years of knowledge for a sustainable world, will be an opportunity to promote the place of research and knowledge in our societies as well as their contributions to the common good.
Participation of Harry Ozier-Lafontaine remotely at the session: Promoting traditional knowledge in local and international projects: epistemological considerations and relevant initiatives.
Between traditional knowledge and scientific knowledge: challenges for the agroecological transition in the Caribbean.
Intensive conventional agriculture inherited from the plantation system in the Antilles is today at an impasse. Faced with the challenges of phasing out pesticides (Loi d’Avenir, 2014), adaptation to climate change (IPCC, 2022) and food security (EGALIM Law, 2018), it is imperative to initiate innovative dynamics around an inclusive and virtuous agroecological transition.
The challenge of hybridizing traditional and scientific knowledge within participatory approaches takes on its full meaning here, if we want to produce innovation, appropriable by the beneficiaries, while being ecologically, socially and economically sustainable. Agricultural research is part of this new orientation (INRAE 2030). Through two examples:
- the hunt for innovations for alternatives to regulate the cassava ant, a major bioaggressor of plant production in Guadeloupe
- the implementation of a network of living laboratory platforms in the Caribbean/Amazon within the CambioNet project (INTERREG V)
We illustrate the strategies implemented to facilitate cross-fertilization between traditional knowledge and scientific knowledge, for the benefit of the agroecological transition. These initiatives reflect the changes in attitude required to address these new challenges.