The Plan
Today is the only day this week that I have a planned meeting with someone. By 8 o’clock I’ve been told to be ready to go for at that time I will be meeting an Agroecologist named Sebastien who will supposedly be teaching me about “agroecology specifications” (which I believe means what makes up agroecology practices), as well as how to collect, and analyze organic matter. I’m really excited to be out in the field (literally) doing hands-on, productive, data collection that real scientists do. I'm extra excited because in being out in the fields I know I am truly utilizing the opportunities that being in France provides, whereas when I’m researching...well... I could do that anywhere.
What I Learned
My time spent with Sabastion went above and beyond what I was expecting. I got to learn all about the agroecology specifications, and how to collect organic matter samples like I was told, but in addition to that, I also got to learn about what it is that an agroecologist does, and what agricultural practices are good or bad, and actually see their effect on real orchards! In our time together, Sabastion and I went to three different orchards all implementing three different methods in an attempt to increase their agroecology rating that Sabastion gives them. The first orchard we went to was testing out flower cover-crops in between the rows, his goal in doing this is to attempt to increase his diversity, which is a
major component of agroecology. From the looks of it, his flowering testing was successful for there were several species of thriving plants all throughout the middle of the aisle and on either side of them there was thick, luscious, grass meaning soil must be teaming with life.
The next orchard we went to was testing out different tree base covers. In the small section devoted to apple experimentation, there were four rows of apple trees, all of which were treated exactly the same except for the types of coverage they received. The first three had bare soil covers and the last one had organic matter cover. The last one, shockingly enough, was the healthiest, with notable differences in tree bark color, leaf color, and apple production. They theorize the reason this fourth row did so well is that the organic matter cover allowed for better water retention due to it being a buffer between the sun and the bare ground in addition they think that the organic matter regulated soil temperature which allows for more development in both microbes and plant growth. All of which perfectly supports what I've been learning in my time here. The third orchard, on the other hand, didn’t have nearly as much success. There they were wanting to test the idea of cover crops in between rows and a new
type of organic pesticide. Though, due to the recent drought, very few of the planted seeds actually grew and in terms of the organic pesticide, all apples that it was used on were too small. Besides observing their experimentation areas, at all the orchards we also collected a sample of their organic matter and weighed it. The amount of organic matter you had was representative of the health of your soil for the more you have, the more nutrients and life is in your soil. After we finished our excursion though still had a few hours to get in for the day so I did a tiny bit of work on Elaine and went over the bug specialist notes with Axelle.
The Reflection
I definitely think today was one of the most informative days I’ve had yet, though not in terms of knowledge or facts, in terms of experience. Today was the first day that I really felt like I was truly a part of pom’evasion, and not just a student studying it. I was out in the field, talking to people, learning about what’s currently happening in the orchards, what’s going to be happening in the orchards, seeing first-hand trials and errors and then trying to figure out why there are errors; I wasn’t just just researching apple orchards anymore...I was in the apple orchards, doing, seeing, and experiencing it all myself. When you’re in a classroom as much of a “real-life application” they may call it, nothing can replicate actually being out there in the world and experiencing something, and I feel like that’s what I found most valuable today...the fact that I was learning by living.