Landscape agronomy: bibliometric insights on key issues and background topics of a conceptual framework
Résumé
Landscapes are formed by the interactions between natural resources and heterogeneous land managers that expect/pursue an increasing variety of ecosystem services. Landscape ecology undoubtedly indicated the landscape as the best level to assess existing services and to support expected improvements. Where agriculture drives local dynamics, a contextual cross-scale analysis of farming activities and actors is needed to understand how and why landscapes are produced, eventually, redesigned. Inspired by landscape ecology, the landscape agronomy framework was proposed to extend the study of patterns and processes to agriculture, calling to focus on the spatially explicit characterization of farmers' decision-making. In summary, the landscape agronomy conceptual framework helps to describe and analyze the patterns determined by the interactions between agricultural practices and local resources (Benoit, Rizzo et al. 2012, Lands Ecol). This communication aims at providing insights into the key concepts underpinning the conceptual framework, such as the "cropping system" defined by agronomists, and the "force fields" applied in geography. A few years after the launch of this conceptual framework, we address the question: "who cares about landscape and agriculture?". To this aim, we will present the result of a bibliometric analysis using the CorText platform to explore research keywords, (inter)disciplinary bridges and emerging issues related to landscape agronomy. In the discussion, we will address some relevant applications, such as the challenges for agrifood system management of natural resources or to energy production by farmers (e.g., biofuel, biogas), and the landscape perspective on the deployment of smart farming and agtech. We will conclude on possible improvements to this conceptual framework. Altogether, this communication sets the scene for an upcoming multidisciplinary book about advances and challenges of a territorial approach to agricultural issues.