The "Agroecology & Markets" project led by the INRAE sector groups

The agrifood sector encountered increasing market segmentation, with the proliferation of public and private quality claims (i.e. labels), which commit the supply chains to the building of differentiated production, processing and distribution practices. We know very little about the way in which value chains move towards agroecology, particularly for value chains with quality labels other than organic farming. From to , INRAE’s Scientific Division for Agriculture conducted an exploratory project with sector research groups of INRAE to analyse how differentiated supply chains are committing to agroecology. This project, entitled ‘Agroecology and Market’, was based on desk research and interviews with over actors from the interbranch organisations and different stages in agrifood chains. This introductory article presents the rationale for the project, the mission of the INRAE sector research groups and the case studies selected for illustrative purposes in order to conduct this exploratory analysis in a diverse range of production and supply chain contexts