Walloon Agricultural Research Centre

CRA-W

Founded in 1872, the Walloon Agricultural Research Centre (CRA-W) is a scientific establishment under the Regional Government of Wallonia. CRA-W employs over 450 people including 120 scientists. The Centre mobilises some 300 hectares of offices, laboratories, greenhouses, orchards and experimental fields. The range of services, researches and analyses provided by the four research departments of the CRA-W covers most aspects of agriculture. Three research units (RU) of the Sustainability, Systems and Prospectives Department are involved in ClieNFarms. Related to the climate neutral farm, CRA-W has expertise in crop field trial and nutrient fate modelling especially targeting carbon sequestration in soils (Soil, Water and Integrated Production RU), in co-construction of solution (participative approach) with farmers and value chain actors (Agricultural Systems RU) and in multi-criteria assessment (including tool development) of agri-food systems sustainability and performances (Agriculture and Sustainability RU).

CRA-W is mainly involved in WPs 1, 2 and 3. In WP1 we actively participate in I3S networking and analysis to identify solution spaces, barriers and levers for evolution, and development of solution within and across I3S, including baseline establishment of farms greenhouse gas balance. CRA-W also participates, in WP2, for method designing of systemic (mainly LCA and C fate in soils) evaluation of systems climate neutrality while taking into account synergies and trade off with other externalities. Centrally, in WP3, CRA-W manages an I3S and, relying on demonstration cropping systems platforms, it provides and evaluates innovative technical solutions. In this context, CRA-W also supports the participatory dynamics within Walloon I3S, from the demonstration to the pilot and commercial farms, and objective the performances and sustainability of the solutions developed to insure the transition towards more climate neutral farms. CRA-W’ team will also organise and contribute to the communication events.