Towards new mobilization tools for participatory science: the PAUZAFRUITS project, a scientific urban orchard

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Today, producing fruit without plant protection is a global challenge, a consequence of the development of intensive monoculture and the massive use of synthetic pesticides, which is reinforced by the effects of climate change. Therefore, the need for experimentation on innovative agroforestry orchard models is high. At the other end of the fruit chain, consumers, mostly city dwellers, are looking for short circuits, intelligent leisure activities and nature, and some are ready to take part in field activities. PAUZAFRUITS stands at the intersection of these needs, proposing a new model of urban agroecological experiment that promotes the development of urban commons. We focus on collective gardens as a form of urban agriculture to which we propose to add a new function, that of knowledge creation, right from their conception, through the paradigm of participatory action research. Briefly, agroforestry orchards are designed with the help of researchers, carried out from start to end by local residents, and scientifically monitored by both researchers and residents. To achieve this, we have assembled an interdisciplinary team led by an Information and Communication Sciences laboratory expert in science-society interactions (IMSIC), an association based in Marseille that manages a collective orchard (VVOUM), three laboratories with expertise in agronomy and ecology (GRAB, IMBE, INRAE-Ecodév), and the association at the head of the network of urban agricultures around Marseille (La Cité de l'Agriculture). The aim of PAUZAFRUITS is therefore to provide a proof of concept of the relevance of this proposal by implementing it on the pilot orchard managed by VVOUM, and to build a broader initiative in the form of a Living Lab dedicated to urban agroecology, which would be unique in France.