Speakers

Alfalfa Cropping to Promote and Benefit from Biodiversity
The loss of biodiversity on agricultural land is due to long-term intensive management of monoculture agroecosystems with limited crop rotation. Plant, animal (especially insect) and microbial biodiversity have been greatly reduced. The corresponding reduction in functional response mechanisms to environmental and climate shifts decrease resilience of ecosystems. Urgent and radical solutions are therefore needed to halt the loss of biodiversity and restore it to levels that will enable the sustainability of agroecosystems, both locally and globally.

This session will explore how alfalfa can be a driver of biodiversity, including genetic diversity, fostering agroecosystems that support both agricultural productivity and environmental sustainability. We seek proposals that address:

•  Enhancing biodiversity and agroecosystem resilience through innovative alfalfa cropping practices in crop and livestock production systems, including crop rotation, grass-alfalfa mixtures, alfalfa breeding.
• Ecosystem services provided by biodiversity (e.g., pollination, pest control, soil health) that can improve alfalfa yields and sustainability.

Disciplinary fields such as ecology, agronomy, genetics, microbiology, and interdisciplinary studies are essential to address this session. Participants will explore innovations in alfalfa management, in relation public policies.

Speakers

Climate change is having a significant impact on alfalfa production around the world, affecting yields, quality, water use, and the growing regions suitable for cultivation. Climate change poses both challenges and opportunities for alfalfa production. While some regions may benefit from longer growing seasons or increased CO2, others face declining yields due to drought, heat stress, and new diseases or pest infestations. Adaptation strategies, including breeding for resilience, will be key to sustaining alfalfa production in the face of climate variability. This session will discuss avenues to develop alfalfa cultivars in conjunction with management systems that enable continued productivity in the face of changing climate.

Speakers

The potential of alfalfa to contribute to planetary boundaries is only meaningful if its cultivation or integration into crop rotations remains economically sustainable, particularly for the producer. This session will delve deeper than the traditional insights into the markets and economy surrounding alfalfa. Evaluating the economic models for alfalfa production prompts a review of cost-benefit analysis of alfalfa cultivation and especially the incentives or compensation for producers for the positive environmental impacts of their work, on top of market retribution. The session will seek to understand the challenges or opportunities for farmers transitioning to alfalfa cultivation. The upcoming session will also assess alfalfa market competitiveness relatively to other plant proteins or crops, and examine the influence of public policies and regulatory environments. Additionally, the session aims to foster international collaboration by addressing global opportunities for research partnerships and the geopolitical dynamics influenced by alfalfa production and trade. This session is therefore entirely appropriate to share experiences, design new paths and why not influence public policies.

Speakers

We have overpassed the planetary boundary for land systems change — human destroying natural ecosystems, especially forests and grasslands, changing them into cropland, road, and others. The biggest issues are loss of biodiversity, reduction of carbon sequestration and environmental pollution due to the conversion of natural forests or grasslands to croplands, especially high-input annual croplands. Alfalfa, as a perennial, deep root, high yield forage, can reduce the cropland share needed to feed livestock and especially annual crops directly consumable by humans. Moreover, alfalfa grassland might be a solution to regenerate the diversified cultivation systems or restore degraded grasslands.

How can we use the limited existing arable land efficiently to meet the demand for meat and milk production? 
This session will discuss innovative approaches to integrate alfalfa into cropland or grasslands systems to increase productivity and land use efficiency with environmental benefits, aiming to reduce and stop forests and grasslands destruction to remain in the planetary boundaries.

• Evaluating the various services supplied, such as carbon storage, biodiversity, food production…, from innovative alfalfa cropping systems compared to annual crop systems, natural grassland and other planting systems
• How to redesign food systems with alfalfa to meet the food demand of human but not increase the pressure on natural ecosystems
• Alfalfa, a successful tool to restore degraded grasslands by improving productivity and environmental benefits.

Welcome participants from any disciplines including agronomy, ecology, grassland management, animal nutrition, economics and markets to join the actions that could bring us back into the safe operating space.

Speakers

Alfalfa, as a nitrogen-fixing legume, is a cornerstone of sustainable agriculture, naturally enriching soil nitrogen and reducing the need for synthetic fertilizers. Beyond its agronomic role, alfalfa contributes significantly to more nitrogen-autonomous production systems by supporting diversified cropping and livestock systems. However, its intensification must consider planetary boundaries, especially regarding nitrogen and phosphorus cycles. This session will delve into sustainable management practices that maximize Alfalfa’s nitrogen fixation potential while minimizing nutrient losses and environmental impacts. Disciplines such as agronomy, soil microbiology, ecology, environmental chemistry, and animal nutrition are essential to understanding nitrogen-use efficiency, nutrient recycling and soil health. Participants will explore innovative strategies that integrate alfalfa into production systems to enhance resilience, promote circular nutrient use, and align agricultural practices with ecological sustainability.

Speakers

Alfalfa, like most field crops, relies mainly on water, which is essential for its growth and production. When rainwater is insufficient, irrigation has been used for centuries, and today alfalfa is irrigated in many parts of the world. In these regions as well as in rainfed conditions, adjusting crop management - including water availability - is of the utmost importance in order to improve our ability to close the carbon, nitrogen, water and energy cycles, and thus manage the planetary limits linked to these cycles. In coordination with other sessions, and in particular the “climate change” session, we will discuss the various aspects linked to water use in alfalfa production: physiology, morphology, varieties, as well as the use of cultivation techniques and irrigation. Like the other sessions of this congress, this one will be an opportunity for practitioners and researchers to share experiences and knowledge, and why not, to come up with ideas for public policy.