title: Managing the drinking water catchment areas: the French agricultural cooperatives feed back.
abstract: The quality of raw water is problematic in France, largely polluted by nitrates and pesticides (Mueller and Helsel, Nutrients in the nation's waters-too much of a good thing? Geological Survey (U.S.), 1996; European Environment Agency, European waters-assessment of status and pressures, 2012).This type of pollution, even though not always due to agriculture (example of the catchment of Ambleville, county 95, France where the nitrate pollution is mainly due to sewers (2012)), has been largely related to the agricultural practices (Sci Total Environ 407:6034-6043, 2009).Taking note of this observation, and instead of letting it paralyze their actions, the agricultural cooperatives decided with Agrosolutions to act directly on the field with their subscribers to change the agricultural practices impacting the water and the environment.This article shows how the French agricultural cooperatives transformed the awareness of the raw water quality problem into an opportunity for the development and implementation of more precise and responsible practices, to protect their environment. They measure in order to pilot, co-construct and build the best action plans possible according to the three pillars of environment, economy and agronomy.
authors.affiliation: Agrosolutions, 83 avenue de la Grande Armée, 75782, Paris Cedex 16, France. scharriere@agrosolutions.com.
authors.forename: Séverine
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Charrière
authors.affiliation: Agrosolutions, 83 avenue de la Grande Armée, 75782, Paris Cedex 16, France.
authors.forename: Claire
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Aumond
mesh_terms: D000383:Agriculture / Q000379:methods*; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000379:methods*; D060766:Drinking Water / Q000592:standards*; D005602:France; D005844:Geology; D033161:Government Regulation; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D009566:Nitrates / Q000032:analysis; D010575:Pesticides / Q000032:analysis; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis*; D014876:Water Pollution / Q000032:analysis / Q000517:prevention & control*; D060753:Water Quality; D014881:Water Supply / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards
chemical_list: D060766:Drinking Water; D009566:Nitrates; D010575:Pesticides; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical
keywords: Action plan; Agriculture; Co-construction; Cooperatives; Modelling; Nitrate