IAWA Board

Benoit Dedieu

He has conducted research into the ways in which livestock farming systems adapt (management choices, practices and performance), taking into account changes in the economic (demand from sectors, price volatility) and environmental (extensification, agro-ecology, climate variability) contexts, as well as the socio-structural dynamics of farms (expansion, reorganisation of the workforce). In particular, it has studied how technical choices integrate the preservation of adaptive capacities to short-term hazards and long-term uncertainty, as well as several aspects of farmers' work (productivity, duration, organisation, personal well-being). This research was carried out in close collaboration with the Institut de l'Elevage and professional partners. The main areas of study have been grassland and mountain areas in France, but also South America (Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil), and recently Africa. Since its creation in 2017, he has chaired the International Association on Work in Agriculture and organised two international symposia on the topic (2016, 2021). Benoît Dedieu was head of the SAD division at INRAE (Sciences for Action and Development, now ACT) from 2012 to 2020. This is a multidisciplinary department combining social sciences, agronomy, zootechnics and ecology. Since 2021, he has been project officer in the International Affairs Division, as part of the TSARA initiative (Transforming Agriculture and Food Systems through Research in Partnership with Africa). He is in charge of monitoring the scientific agenda, the thematic task forces and the INRAE call for expressions of interest for TSARA.

benoit.dedieu@inrae.fr

Bruno Dorin

Bruno Dorin (PhD. in economics, postgraduate in agricultural engineering) Has 17 years of research experience in France and 16 in India. Is an economist at CIRAD (Montpellier) and CIRED (Paris). Works on large range of issues (nexus agriculture-nutrition-productivity-employment-poverty-ecology) and developed Agribiom, a quantitative tool for analysing past productions and uses of biomasses (since the 1960s) and buiding future scenarios of structural transformation (horizon 2050). Is author of many academic articles in addition to five books in English, including “Agrimonde: scenarios and challenges for feeding the world in 2050” (Versailles 2011; Springer 2014).

bruno.dorin@cirad.fr

Callum Eastwood

Callum is a social scientist at DairyNZ who specialises in farm workplace research, including the integration of technology and practices into farm systems. He holds a PhD from the University of Melbourne, focusing on technology and innovative dairy systems. He has a Master of Applied Science (Natural Resource Management) from Massey University, as well as an Honours and Bachelor’s degree in Applied Science (Natural Resource Management). Callum’s scientific approach includes qualitative and quantitative social research methods and using collaborative principles to engage with farmers and other stakeholders. He believes science plays a crucial role in addressing the increasingly complex issues farmers are facing.

callum.eastwood@dairynz.co.nz

David Meredith

David is a Senior Research Officer at Teagasc, the Irish Agriculture and Food Development Authority, working within the Rural Economy and Development Programme where he leads the Department of AgriFood Business and Spatial Analysis. David’s research centres on understanding and supporting the social sustainability of farming through a focus on working and living conditions of current and future farmers, farm workers and farm families. Ongoing and recent research projects that David led include SafeHabitus (2023 – 2026), BeSafe (2019 – 2024) and ReNew2050 (2022 – 2024). This body of research seeks to understand how structural forces (drivers of change) shaping farming influence working and living conditions and the resulting impacts and implications for the physical, including occupational safety, and mental health of farmers. Applying multiactor/participatory research approaches, the research programme provides evidence to support policy development and works with farm advisors, farmers and policy stakeholders to co-design and evaluate training initiatives that enable farmers and farm workers to adopt safer or healthier practices. Recent research topics include farm safety, mental health and wellbeing, rural isolation, eldercare in farm households, generational renewal, and, more broadly, agriculture and rural development. David has published in a variety of international, peer reviewed journals, book chapters and edited a number of books. Related to this work, David supervises PhD students and Post-Doctoral researchers. This portfolio of research projects supports David’s work with agricultural and rural policy development stakeholders in Ireland and the EU. David completed his PhD in 2012 (Maynooth University), was awarded an MLitt (1998) and BA (1995) from University College Dublin and received a Higher Diploma in Statistics from Trinity College Dublin (2014).

david.meredith@teagasc.ie

Florence Becot

I am a rural sociologist with a research program focused on the health, well-being, safety, and economic viability of farm families. My work first considers the ways in which difficulties meeting social needs such as health care, childcare, or aging, expand beyond the confines of the personal sphere and can have direct implications on the farm including the adoption of farm safety practices and farm business development. Directly tied to farm households’ ability to meet their social needs, my work also explores the availability and types of social supports, including crisis support, as well as the role of these support systems in supporting farm households and their farm business. I earned my PhD from the Ohio State University and was previously a researcher at the University of Vermont Center for Rural Studies and the National Farm Medicine Center.

florence.becot@psu.edu

Ibrahima Diallo

Doctor of Sociology from the University of Poitiers, France, i have been a research fellow at the Bureau of Macroeconomic Analyses (BAME) of the Senegalese agricultural research institute (ISRA) since September 2023. I was previously a research engineer/postdoctoral researcher at the University of Bordeaux as part of the research program « Sustainable work in sustainable agriculture (Trasad)/ What transformations in working conditions on farms beginning an agro-ecological transition ? Case study in vitiviniculture between three regions ? ». More generally, my research is at the crossroads of the sociology of work, the sociology of agricultural worlds and the sociology of migration. My current research focuses on the effects of agro-ecological transition and technical innovation on agricultural work.

ibrahima.diallo@isra.sn

Isabelle Avelange

After a thesis in plant pathology in 1994, I joined INRAE, to implement large-scale programs in support of scientists. Executive manager at the French National Research Agency I implemented two large-scale programs, the agricultural and sustainable development program–ADD and the systems, territories, resources and agricultures 'program-SYSTERRA. At INRAE, I was Executive manager of the Metaprogram from 2011-2013, since 2013, I am Executive manager in charge of improve European participation of the INRAE ACT Division. Since 2021, I joined IAWA for 10% of my time, and I follow a mission on European affairs for the act division. I like the interdisciplinary programs and their links to the real world.

isabelle.avelange@inrae.fr

Malanski Priscila

Priscila Malanski is an agricultural systems scientist with a PhD in Animal Science (AgroParisTech, France) and post-doctoral fellow at Business Management Department in the State University of Maringa (Brazil). Her research interest covers human resource management in livestock farming systems, and bibliometric analysis of scientific knowledge related to work in agriculture and agri-food value chains.

priscila.malanski@inrae.fr

Marion Beecher

Marion Beecher is currently working with Teagasc as a Research Officer. Her research interests include dairy farm labour productivity specifically looking at efficient technologies, infra-structure, and work organisation including Lean management as well as evaluating human resource management practices within Irish dairy farm businesses. Prior to this she co-ordinated the Professional Diploma in Dairy Farm Management Programme which involved co-ordination of placements of students on approved dairy host farmers for training. She graduated from University College Dublin with a PhD in animal science.

marion.beecher@teagasc.ie

Michael Santhanam-Martin

Michael Santhanam-Martin teaches and researches at the University of Melbourne, Australia. Research interests include farm work organization and farm employment relationships, and agricultural transitions towards sustainability. He has studied family succession processes, work organisation and feeding system transitions in the Australian dairy industry, and workforce organisation and job satisfaction in the Australian orchard industry.

mpmartin@unimelb.edu.au

Mohamed Taher Sraïri

Professor, Head of the School of Agricultural Sciences, Hassan II Agronomy and Veterinary Medicine Institute, Rabat – MOROCCO. I am an animal scientist, interest in dairy production systems. At the beginning of my career, I have investigated the determinants of smallholder herds’ performances in Morocco: milk yield and quality, profitability, etc. Then, I began working on crop/livestock integration. This brought me to study water productivity in dual purpose herds (milk and meat simultaneously), as well as water volumes used and their origins (rainfall and/or irrigation) by the other crops on farms. The interest devoted to resource uses also meant that I tried to characterize work uses in the Moroccan agricultural sector, in various regions (rain-fed, irrigations schemes, oases, etc) and the remuneration of this input.

mt.srairi@Iav.ac.ma

Nathalie Hostiou

Nathalie Hostiou is a researcher at INRAE, with a PhD on animal sciences. She carries out researches on labour in livestock farming systems in different countries in the North and the South. She studies changes in farmers’ work organization and working conditions due to the adoption of agroecological practices or precision livestock farming. She co-authored the Quaework approach to qualify work organization and evaluate its efficiency and flexibility with a deep analysis of how livestock farming system management is involved. She is involved in the animation of several research groups of researchers on work in agriculture. Publications Hostiou N., Jeanneaux P., Duval J., Lebrun M., Nowak B. (2023). Contributions des technologies de précision pour améliorer les conditions de travail dans les élevages agroécologiques : questionnements et perspectives. Natures Sciences Sociétés, ⟨10.1051/nss/2023031⟩. ⟨hal-04195709⟩ Duval, J., Cournut, S., Hostiou, N. (2021). Livestock farmers’ working conditions in agroecological farming systems- A review. Agronomy for Sustainable Development, 41 (22), https://doi.org/10.1007/s13593-021-00679-y Hostiou, N., Vollet, D., Benoit, M., Delfosse, C. (2020). Employment and farmers’ work in European ruminant livestock farms: A review. Journal of Rural Studies, 72: 223-234. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrurstud.2020.01.008 Malanski, P.D., Ingrand, S., Hostiou, N. (2019). A new framework to analyze changes in work organization for permanent employees on livestock farms. Agronomy for Sustainable Development, 39. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13593-019-0557-3 Hostiou, N. Fagon, J., Chauvat, S., Turlot, A., Kling-Eveillard, F., Boivin, X., Allain, C. (2017). Impact of precision livestock farming on work and human-animal interactions on dairy farms. A review. BASE, 21, 1-8.Hostiou, N., Dedieu, B. (2012). A method for assessing work productivity and flexibility in livestock farms. Animal, 6 (5), 852-862.

nathalie.hostiou@inrae.fr

Pierre Girard

Pierre Girard holds a PhD in Economics from the University of Montpellier (France). Before obtaining his PhD, he worked in international development in many African countries with a focus on supporting farmers’organization.His research interests are on structural change in rural change in relation with employment issues. He especially focuses on the agricultural development models that can provide decent jobs to people, the role of agroecology, bionenergies and mechanization in transforming farming systems and territories, and rural-urban linkages.

pierre.girard@cirad.fr

Ruth Alison Nettle

Sandra Contzen

Sandra Contzen (PhD in Human Geography) is carrying out applied social science research on topics such as gender equality, farm succession, quality of life, and poverty in (Swiss) agriculture. With her research she thus contributes to the scientific knowledge on work and employment in agriculture as well as on the social dimension of sustainability in agriculture. Through teaching and supervising students’ term papers and thesis at BSc- and MSc-level, as well as through a strong contact to practitioners, Sandra Contzen transfers and exchanges scientific knowledge to and with the practice.

sandra.contzen@bfh.ch

Sandra Schiavi

Degree on Economics (1998), PhD on Production Engineering (2007), visitor scholar at the Department of Agricultural Economics – Kansas State University (2015-2016). Field research: agrifood value chain and work in agriculture, smallholders and value chain; value chain governance; agribusiness.

smaschiav@uem.br

Sophie Chauvat

Sophie Chauvat produces methods and consulting tools on work organization and human resources management. She coordinates the Mixed Technology Network (RMT) "Work in agriculture", which has been accredited by the French Ministry of Agriculture since 2007. This development-research-training mechanism brings together 50 partners (technical institutes, chambers of agriculture, research organizations, higher and professional education, network heads). The work of the RMT "Work in agriculture" is implemented around 4 axes: Transformations of work, Collective organizations in the territories, The quality of life at work, Considering work in education and training. The international component of the RMT aims to expand our collaborations and disseminate our projects. For more information: http://rmt-travail-agriculture.fr

sophie.chauvat@idele.fr

Wendy Geza

Wendy Geza’s research focuses on understanding the role of youth in transforming water, energy, food and ecological systems under climate change. Her interests include youth inclusion in water and food systems, socio-economic transformation, climate change, water, energy and food systems research and policy analysis. Through her work, she aims to contribute to transdisciplinary research and development that supports capacity building, resilience, inclusion, and equity in integrated water, energy, food and environmental systems for marginalised people.

gezaw@uknz.ac.za