• Harnessing opportunities – leveraging innovation, digital tools, and finance to drive change
• Safeguarding diversity – promoting biodiversity, diverse diets, and resilient value chains
• Balancing scales – connecting local and global dynamics for effective action
• Stabilizing food systems – building resilience to climate and geopolitical shocks
• Strengthening agency – empowering people to shape food systems and claim their right to food
• Reflective science – advancing inclusive, critical, and impactful research

Dear all,

Thank you very much for your participation in the ISG meeting!
We kindly invite you to add the notes you took during the meeting to the Meeting Notes document available under the ISG Meeting tab on the platform: https://system-s.org/?ISGMeeting
Following Alice François’ presentation, several of you expressed an interest in joining the Doctoral Education working group. If this is the case, please confirm your interest by replying to this email so that we can add you to the working group.

Thank you in advance, and we look forward to continuing the discussions.

Best regards,
Maela Roudaut

Dear all,


Thank you very much for your participation in the ISG meeting!
We kindly invite you to add the notes you took during the meeting to the Meeting Notes document available under the ISG Meeting tab on the platform : https://system-s.org/?ISGMeeting
Following Alice François’ presentation, several of you expressed an interest in joining the Doctoral Education working group. If this is the case, please confirm your interest by replying to maela.roudaut@supagro.fr so that we can add you to the working group.


Thank you in advance, and we look forward to continuing the discussions.


Best regards,
Maela Roudaut
maela.roudaut@supagro.fr

Dear all,

We would like to wish all members of the CopSyS community of practice a very happy 2026, filled with joy, good health, and success!

For CopSyS, 2026 will be an opportunity to reinvigorate the community and strengthen knowledge exchange among us, with the aim of co-creating meaningful and relevant content related to systems science.

I would also like to take this opportunity to mention that, at the beginning of the year, significant efforts will be dedicated to adding new resources to the platform. Please do not hesitate to share any resources you believe would be valuable for our community.

I remain at your disposal should you have any questions regarding the resources or the community in geral.

Thank you very much for your collaboration.

Best regards,

Maela Roudaut

⚠️ This email contains two pieces of information: the next ISG meeting and the upcoming ISG workshop. Please read it carefully until the end.

Dear ISG members,

I hope you are doing well and wish you a very happy new year.

During our last meeting on 15 December, we discussed the importance of adopting a more regular schedule for ISG meetings and reducing their duration to one hour.

In this regard, I would like to suggest scheduling the next meeting within the last two weeks of January.

To do so, please respond to the poll by clicking on the link below so that we can select a date that works for the majority. You may select more than one option if you are available for several of the proposed time slots. 

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd5lL4nhUf0RDIBZpbIp8QOJsGzm05tnvHvTOSPM8XNrdhijg/viewform?usp=heade

[Please kindly respond to the poll by Monday, 12 January 2026, to help facilitate the organisation of the meeting.]


Regarding the next ISG Workshop, we discussed the possibility of holding it alongside the IFSA Congress (https://www.iamm.ciheam.org/fr/agendas/ifsa-2026-montpellier-call-for-papers-is-now-open/), which will take place from 29 June to 3 July 2026 in Montpellier. Two options are therefore being considered:

• Option 1:  Schedule our workshop to take place alongside the IFSA Congress, between 29 June and 3 July
• Option 2: Take advantage of the presence of some ISG members attending IFSA to organise the workshop a few days before the congress, on 26 or 27 June 2026.
  
  
  [Please provide us with feedback on this topic before Friday, January 16, 2026.]
  
  
  Best regards.
  Maela Roudaut.

Dear CopSys members,

Katrien and her colleagues from Wageningen are pleased to announce that registration for the course on rural households in Malawi is now open and you are welcome to participate!

In📍 Kasungu, Malawi | 🗓 22 March – 2 April 2026.

👉 Interested? Check out the link: https://www.pe-rc.nl/courses-retreats/farming-systems-and-rural-livelihoods-analysis

Please find below (and of course on the website) a short description of the course. 

In collaboration with CGIAR Science Programs on Sustainable Farming and Multifunctional Landscapes, the PE&RC graduate school again organizes this field course (previously run in Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, Uganda and Ghana) on Farming Systems and Rural Livelihoods Analysis (FSRLA) in central Malawi.

The focus of this edition of the FSRLA course is on farm household systems in multifunctional landscapes, as affected by poverty, pressures of climate change, population growth, land-use change, and changes in markets. Smallholder farming communities in tropical regions of Africa, Asia and Latin America operate in landscapes that offer diverse ecosystem functions and services but also pose stringent constraints on agriculture and food systems. Social and institutional factors (market arrangements, gendered divisions of labour and social practices) are equally important in shaping rural livelihoods.

This field course aims to practice data collection, data integration (with secondary data sources) and the analysis of diverse farm households, using different methodologies and techniques. Data collection through interviews, surveys, transects walks, field observation, will be practiced through field research in a smallholder farming context in the region around Kasungu, Malawi. We will address questions such as: How do diverse farming households currently cope with and adapt to challenges posed by internal resource constraints and external drivers? What alternative land-uses and resource allocations may reduce or overcome trade-offs between farm productivity, rural livelihoods and environmental impacts? Are such alternatives enhancing the resilience of farming households, and how are the burdens and benefits associated with these alternatives distributed within rural communities and households? 

Target group: The course is ideally suited for PhD students and post-docs of Wageningen University, as well as (junior) staff of national agricultural research institutes and institutes of the CGIAR, working on and within (smallholder) production systems, rural livelihoods, and the effects of global change at the regional, national and local level.

With kind regards.

I believe that participating in this course will strengthen analytical skills, deepen understanding of sustainable farming systems, and generate practical tools that can be applied in research, training, and field-based interventions. I am confident that the knowledge and methodologies could also significantly contribute to improving professional practice and to supporting more resilient and sustainable rural livelihoods in Africa. I am particularly interested in this course because of its integrated approach to farming systems analysis, landscape multifunctionality, and rural development, which are highly relevant to the challenges faced by smallholder farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Thanks to Katrien and her team for this opportunity.

Salimata

Hello everyone,

We received this message from INRAE ​​regarding calls for contributions associated with the FSD8 conference. We are therefore sharing the email so that all members have access to the information. We would be delighted to share your contributions in the platform's news section!

[Dear colleagues,

We are writing to follow up with updated information regarding the 3 special issues associated with the conference.

The call for papers for the Virtual Special issue on "Innovation for agrifood system transition: theoretical and practical insights" has just been released !

https://link.springer.com/collections/iejffhfjji 

Submission deadline: 31 January 2027

Agricultural Systems

The call for papers for the Virtual Special Issue on Agrifood Systems is now open:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/special-issue/328820/design-for-agrifood-system-transitions-theory-and-practice

Authors are invited to submit original research papers or review articles via the journal’s submission system: https://www.editorialmanager.com/agsy/default2.aspx

To ensure that manuscripts are correctly identified for inclusion in the Virtual Special Issue, please select one of the following options at the “Article Type” step of the submission process:

    VSI: Agrifood System – Research Paper
    VSI: Agrifood System – Review Article

Submission deadline: 30 June 2026

Italian Journal of Agronomy

The call for papers is under preparation and will be announced soon.

Submission deadline: To be defined

Thank you very much for your commitment to producing high-quality papers on Farming System Design.
We look forward to your contributions.

With our best regards,

Marion & Marie-Hélène

Marie-Hélène Jeuffroy (INRAE), Marion Casagrande (INRAE), Sophie Formisano (INRAE), Gentiane Maillet (INRAE), on behalf of IDEAS and the local organization committee]

Dear CopSyS members,

We are pleased to announce the launch of the official CopSyS LinkedIn page 🎉

This page is a key tool for strengthening CopSyS’s international visibility and for showcasing the richness of our community and its work. Through this page, we aim to:

Increase the worldwide visibility of CopSyS and its System-S platform within the scientific and professional community

• Disseminate newly added resources
• Highlight member publications that contribute to systems science
• Share in-depth posts on specific methods or approaches
• Promote events (CopSyS and related to systems science)
• Attract new members to the community

We warmly invite you to follow the CopSyS LinkedIn page by clicking here: [LinkedIn_page_copsyscommunityofpractice]

To help amplify this collective dynamic, we also encourage you to share your involvement in CopSyS with your own network. To make this easy, we have prepared a LinkedIn post template that you can personalise with your own motivations for joining this community of practice.

You can access the template here (copy–paste friendly): [LinkedIn_post_template]

Thank you for helping us make CopSyS more visible and for contributing to the life and outreach of the community.

Best regards!

Dear all,

This is a kind reminder that our meeting will take place this afternoon.

Please find below the note-taking document where you will find the program and you are welcome to add your comments and contributions during the meeting:

[Note Document-ISG meeting 2026-1] 

We look forward to our discussion.

Best regards!

Dear ISG members,

Thank you very much for your participation in our meeting last Friday.

For those who were unable to attend, no worries — you can access the meeting minutes by clicking on the following link:

[ Last ISG meeting - Note document]

As a reminder for those who attended, and for the information of others, here are the main actions to be undertaken:

• Upload the final version of the value proposition on the platform homepage
• Continue identifying and sharing relevant resources and courses
• Create a “Capacity Development” category on the platform to clearly distinguish courses from other educational resources
• Suggest webinar topics using the following document: [Future Webinars]
• Suggest potential participants to invite to the next CopSyS Workshop in Montpellier (please complete the list here: [List of people to invit])
• Identify and invite relevant colleagues to join CopSyS (see the email template: [Email template])
• Follow the CopSyS LinkedIn page to stay informed about updates and activities

Our next meeting will be dedicated to organizing the upcoming workshop in Montpellier and will take place in March. We will soon send out a poll to choose the most convenient date.

Thank you again for your engagement and contributions to the community.

Best regards,

Maela Roudaut.

Dear ISG member,

You are kindly invited to submit suggestions for webinar topics that we would like to launch soon, using the information in the following document.

Please feel free to suggest topics you are knowledgeable about or would like to learn more about. It would also be greatly appreciated if you could suggest a speaker to talk about on the proposed topic.

Thank you for your suggestions!

Have a good week.

Hello everyone,

In order to best organize our next monthly meeting in March, please complete this survey to let us know which time slot would suit you best! For your information, this meeting will be dedicated to organizing the next Workshop in Montpellier.

Survey for next ISG meeting

Please respond before next Monday (February 16th).

Thank you all for your replies!

Have a good day.

Hello everyone,

I am following up with those who have not yet voted for one of the proposed dates for our next ISG meeting. As a reminder, this meeting will be dedicated to organizing our next workshop in Montpellier.

Here is the link to the survey: 

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdhPQsF8XF3qwtlQnVWBSnumyzltN2PfOSPg6K-JpirjSJ2eA/viewform?usp=sharing&ouid=116872832661997303322

Thank you.
Have a good week and see you soon!

 Dear CopSyS colleagues

We have the pleasure to invite you to the webinar given by Ray Ison at the SLU University

on March 17, 2026 (10.00 to 11.30 am (CET))

This webinar (see abstract below) is organized by the SYSTEM group of the ELLS University Alliance chaired by Katrien Descheemaeker  (https://www.euroleague-study.org/en/r-20337-alliance/r-20347-subject-areas/systems-analysis-and-design-of-agri-food-systems-in-a-changi.html)

Participation is free of charge but you need to register with the link below.
https://www.slu.se/en/calendar/2026/03/ray-ison/

Webinar abstract
Research is a practice that can be systematic, systemic or both. Systematic practice is essentially linear and associated with simple cause and effect.  In contrast systemic practice is relational and encompasses feedback dynamics; it is thus circular, recursive and adapted to context. These two concepts (systemic/systematic) can be understood as a self-negating, either/or, pair (a dualism) or as modes of praxis that can form a unity, a whole, by epistemologically responsible practitioners (i.e., a duality). Claims for research practice are that it can provide new understandings and (situated?) improvements, though all too often this is expressed as the production of ‘new knowledge’ in a simplistic manifestation of the linear model of knowledge production, rather than embodied enactment of knowing.  Drawing on his own agricultural education, his research and ‘teaching’ practice and his turn to Systems scholarship: social learning; systemic co-inquiry; systemic governance and the design of learning systems, Ray will explore the constraints to effective situational improvement that have come through the institutionalisation of the linear model of knowledge production, scholarship which began with the publication of:
Russell, D.B., Ison, R.L., Gamble, D.R. & Williams, R.K. (1989) A Critical Review of Rural Extension Theory and Practice. Australian Wool Corporation/ University of Western Sydney (Hawkesbury).  67pp.

He will finish with some personal reflections on a 55 year ‘career’ within (or near) the domain of agriculture (understood as one of the main domains in which human-biosphere relations are manifest through the enactment of ‘human activity systems’ that can be the product of systemic (co)design).

Biography: Ray Ison was appointed Professor of Systems at the Open University (OU) in 1994 retiring at the end of 2023 as Professor Emeritus. He is an Agricultural Science Graduate of the University of Sydney (1971-4) and received his PhD in tropical plant ecophysiology at the University of Queensland (1978-81). His first academic post was at the then Hawkesbury Agricultural College known internationally for its radical education model based on ‘systems agriculture’ (1982-6). His shift from framing grasslands as ‘biological/ecological systems’ to socially constructed human activity systems continued at the University of Sydney (1987-93) as conveyed in the book ‘Agronomy of Grassland Systems’ (Pearson & Ison 1987/1997). 
Prof. Ison is the current President (since 2018) of the IFSR (International Federation for Systems Research); he has also served as President of ISSS (International Society for the Systems Sciences) and as a Trustee of the American Society of Cybernetics. In 2022 he was given a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Systems Society of India ‘for contributions to the transformation of society with a systems approach’. In October 2026 he will take up a Senior Fellowship within the University of Vienna Centre for Advanced Studies.

We hope you will be able to join us for this webinar and look forward to your participation. Please feel free to share this invitation with colleagues who may be interested.

Kind regards!

Hello everyone,

I hope you are all well.

Based on the survey responses, our next ISG meeting will take place on

Tuesday, March 17th, from 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM (CET)

Online on this link : https://institut-agro.zoom.us/j/98994556966?pwd=TPP1w7bxcGzntqROjGDJiOiC6dUQrB.1 

More informations are available on the dedicated page on the platform

The agenda will focus on the organization of our webinars and the next workshop in Montpellier on June 29th. The following two points will be discussed:

• Topic, dates and speakers for the planning of the first webinar /!\ There's still time for you to suggest topics to discuss or people to invite via this link: https://cloud.system-s.org/s/LAQzgHpkBbkPnsY

• Agenda and participants of our Montpellier workshop during IFSA congress /!\ Please confirm your availability on June 29th if you haven't already done so; see email "Availability request – CopSyS Workshop in Montpellier (June 29th)").

Thank you in advance for confirming your attendance at this meeting. This will allow us to work together to plan the workshop program!

See you soon!

Best regards.

Dear all,

This is a kind reminder that our meeting will take place this afternoon.

Tuesday, March 17th from 4 PM to 5 PM (CET)

Join: https://institut-agro.zoom.us/j/98994556966?pwd=TPP1w7bxcGzntqROjGDJiOiC6dUQrB.1
Here is the platform page dedicated to the meeting

As we informed you, the agenda will focus on :

1. Organizing our next workshop. In this context, we will present the progress of the Capsha project, which will be one of the main themes of the workshop (here is the latest presentation shared by Charles).                                                     We also invite you to continue suggesting interested guests to participate in the webinar (preferably people connected to the Capsha project and case studies) in the following document.
2. On the selection of topics for future webinars. Here are the initial proposals made by Jacques, which we can discuss.

We look forward to our discussion.

See you next week!

Oops, there was a mistake in the previous email, our meeting is not this afternoon but next Tuesday!

Hi everyone,

Here is the link for our meeting: https://institut-agro.zoom.us/j/98994556966?pwd=TPP1w7bxcGzntqROjGDJiOiC6dUQrB.1

Dear Copsys members,

We are pleased to introduce Schambach Owolabi, who is joining Copsys for his final internship. He will be helping me (Maela Roudaut) manage the platform this month before joining Katrien Descheemaeker at the University of Wageningen. Here are the words he wanted to share with you to announce his arrival:

" My name is Schambach Owolabi, and I'm currently concluding my Master's in Urban Agriculture and Green Cities at UniLaSalle Rouen. My focus is on sustainability—especially how urban systems like food production, environmental management, and community spaces can connect more effectively.

I'm particularly drawn to systems approaches because they help show how different pieces—like agriculture, waste, and city life—are all linked. I think that kind of holistic thinking is essential for building practical, lasting solutions in cities.

Outside of my studies, I've always enjoyed exploring different fields and expanding my perspective. I've worked in hospitality, as well as on food production farms and with research institutes in Nigeria. Those experiences have shaped how I think about food systems, both hands-on and analytically.

I'm really excited to connect with people in the community—I really value learning from different experiences and swapping ideas. Looking forward to contributing."

Have a good day!

Hello everyone,

As we discussed at the last meeting, we would like to organize another webinar next month. Could you please share your thoughts on the initial ideas proposed and add any suggestions?

Thank you very much for your collaboration!

Here is the link to the document: https://cloud.system-s.org/s/LAQzgHpkBbkPnsY

Best regards,

Maela.

Hello everyone,

With a view to our first webinar in May, please let us know:

• Before April 10th => Your opinion on the proposal to invite Ken Giller for an initial webinar to provide an overview of systems science, or if you have any other suggestion?

• Before April 20th => Your suggestions for topics for future webinars, please submit them in the following collaborative document : https://cloud.system-s.org/s/LAQzgHpkBbkPnsY.

Thank you for your collaboration.

Have a good friday!

Maela Roudaut

Dear ISG members, 

Following our meeting, we are pleased to present a first draft of the program for our second workshop in Montpellier, which will take place at the end of June.

We would be delighted to receive your feedback on this initial proposal.

Please submit your suggestions on the following document: https://cloud.system-s.org/s/rRn2Mmj29eHpWnR

-> before April 15th.

The sooner we agree on the topics to be covered, the sooner we can send out invitations.

Thank you for your contributions.

Have a nice day!

Dear ISG members,

Thank you very much for your participation in our last meeting in March. 
As a reminder for those who attended, and for the information of others, here are the main actions that we had decided to undertake:
Platform & content
•    Continue developing the capacity development section (Maela) 
•    Share or submit training course recommendations (all members) 
Workshop (Montpellier – June 29)
•    Contact IFSA session conveners to join the afternoon session (Maela)
•    Finalize workshop program (Jacques) 
•    Review and refine guest list (all) 
•    Identify contributors for case studies (Mexico – Santiago; Nigeria, Malawi, Ethiopia – all) 
Webinars
•    Continue refining webinar topics and identifying speakers 
•    Share upcoming proposal document (Jacques)

You can find the report of our last meeting at this link: https://cloud.system-s.org/s/QQTWdeDA7JYKaAg

/!\ It is also time to set a date for our next monthly meeting! To ensure the date works for as many people as possible, please complete THIS SURVEY before 15th April, to let us know which time slot would suit you best.

Thank you for your collaboration!

Dear ISG members, 

We would like to remind you that if you are interested in attending the IFSA congress, which will begin immediately after our workshop (June 29th to July 3rd) -> you must register on the event website.

REMARK: They have extended the EARLY BIRD FEES period until APRIL 15TH. You can therefore take advantage of a better rate if you register before this date.

Reminder: you also have until this date to suggest changes to the preliminary program of our workshop.

Have a good day everyone! 

Best regards.

✨ Great news!
All CopSyS resources are now publicly available and accessible to anyone interested in exploring systems science.

🚀 Why is this a good opportunity?

For our members:

• Increase the visibility of your work
• Unlock new partnership opportunities

For the community:

• Attract new researchers, educators, and practitioners
• Strengthen CopSyS as a space for knowledge sharing and large-scale dissemination

💡 What would you like to share?
Have you developed a tool?
Are you involved in a multidisciplinary project?
Do you teach using systems approaches?

👉 Showcase your initiatives!
Share them with us and gain visibility on the platform.

📩 Contact the community team: [https://system-s.org/?Contact]

Dear ISG members,

I am contacting you again regarding the date of our next meeting. Following the previous survey, 3 dates stood out. Here is a poll for you to select one of the three dates for the end of April:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfq_SIR-eiNwo0EfJjr7T3oN_6JI6SLtj30aARBw-JTn1LEDg/viewform?usp=header  

Thank you for voting as soon as possible.

Have a good week everyone.

✨ Project Spotlight: Advancing Systemic Solutions in Desert Agriculture

We are pleased to highlight the successful completion of the Integrated Desert Farming for Resilient Livelihoods (IDFRL) project involving our member @Abebe Bezaiet Dessalegn and led by ICARDA, showcasing the power of multi-actor, systemic approaches in desert farming systems.

Funded by the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID), the project was implemented by ICARDA in close partnership with Egypt’s Agricultural Research Center (ARC), Desert Research Center (DRC), and National Water Research Center (NWRC).

🌍 A strategic vision for resilient desert agriculture
The project demonstrated how integrated and science-based solutions can support the development of climate-resilient farming systems in Egypt’s drylands.
By adopting a social–ecological systems approach, it addressed interconnected challenges such as resource scarcity, isolation, limited market access, and climate vulnerability.

🤝 Co-designing solutions with farmers
A key strength of the project was its participatory and inclusive approach, engaging farmers through:

• On-farm demonstrations
• Field days across five governorates
• Farmer-to-farmer knowledge-sharing videos
• Training of trainers for researchers and technicians
• Experience-sharing sessions to foster collective learning

📈 Impact beyond expectations
The project significantly exceeded its initial target, reaching far more than the expected 3,450 beneficiaries — a strong testament to the effectiveness of systemic, co-designed interventions.

💡 What we learn
This initiative is a powerful example of how systems thinking and multi-stakeholder collaboration can drive sustainable and scalable impact in challenging environments.

Dear CopSys members,

We are pleased to announce the official launch of the CopSys webinar series — a new space for exchange, learning, and discussion within our community and beyond.

🎯 About the webinar series

The CopSys webinars aim to foster dialogue around key topics in agricultural systems research.

Each session will include:

  A keynote lecture by an invited expert An interactive discussion (Q&A)

📢 The series is open to all CopSys members as well as external participants.

📅 First webinar – Save the date

We are delighted to invite you to our inaugural session: Date: 27 May 2026

  Time: 17:00 – 17:45 CET

  Speaker: Professor Ken Giller

  Title: "Farm(ing) systems analysis: A search for pattern and process"

🗓 Programme

  17:00 – 17:10 | Introduction and overview of CopSyS activities (Katrien)

  17:10 – 17:35 | Keynote lecture (Prof. Ken Giller)

  17:35 – 17:45 | Discussion (Q&A)

  17:45 – 18:00 | Debriefing with ISG members (closed session)

🔗 Registration

👉 Click here  to register

👉 Visit the  CopSys webinar page for more information

A videoconference link will be sent to all registered participants prior to the event.

📢 Spread the word

Please feel free to share this invitation with colleagues or partners who may be interested.

We look forward to your participation!

Kind regards,

Schambach,

CopSys.

Hello everyone,

I hope you are all well.

Based on the survey responses, our next ISG meeting will take place on:

Thursday, April 30th, from 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM (CET).

Stay tuned because we will be sending you the video conference and a calendar link very soon!

Thank you in advance for confirming your attendance at this meeting. This will allow us to talk about our first webinar and to review the guest list for the workshop.

See you soon!
Best regards.

Dear all,

This is a kind reminder that our meeting will take place next week:

Thursday, April 30th from 4 PM to 5 PM (CET)

Join: https://institut-agro.zoom.us/j/98671789171?pwd=gbGYa39vQ5R12UlROJmTW1pgBoNIvl.1 

👉 Please consult the dedicated page on the platform for the detailed program and documents to consult before the meeting. 

Here is an overview of the agenda:

1. Program and participant for the second CopSyS Workshop (June, 29th)
   •    Discover the Workshop program : https://cloud.system-s.org/s/RDZgAL6DHT9YzYm 
   •    Look and complete the provisional list of participants and guests: https://cloud.system-s.org/s/WdZWEdBArgNtrEC  
   •    Have a look to the invitation proposition: https://cloud.system-s.org/s/FLKekg2BQDneaaz
2. Update about CopSyS Webinars
   •    Update about our 1rst Webinar
   •    Planning of the upcoming ones
3. Next France-CGIAR Workshop (May, 13th)

We look forward to our discussion.
See you next week!

Dear all,

This is a kind reminder that our meeting will take place tomorrow afternoon.

Thursday, April 30th from 4 PM to 5 PM (CET) 

Join: https://institut-agro.zoom.us/j/98671789171?pwd=gbGYa39vQ5R12UlROJmTW1pgBoNIvl.1 

Below are the topics that will be discussed; feel free to add your suggestions to the various documents:

1. Program and participant for the second CopSyS Workshop (June, 29th)
   •    Discover the Workshop program : https://cloud.system-s.org/s/RDZgAL6DHT9YzYm 
   •    Look and complete the provisional list of participants and guests: https://cloud.system-s.org/s/WdZWEdBArgNtrEC  
   •    Have a look to the invitation proposition: https://cloud.system-s.org/s/FLKekg2BQDneaaz
2. Update about CopSyS Webinars
   •    Update about our 1rst Webinar
   •    Planning of the upcoming ones
3. Next France-CGIAR Workshop (May, 13th)

See you tomorrow!

Kind regards.

Dear all,

I hope you are doing well.

We are currently preparing the CGIAR–France workshop that will take place on May 13 in Nairobi, Kenya, and we would like to present several concrete examples of training programmes and action modalities involving Systems Science approaches.

In this context, we would like to ask whether ISG is aware of:

• Doctoral training programmes similar to WASCAL or DoctorBEST
• and/or Vocational school initiatives such as the Réseau FAR or the COeLIB programme.

->Our objective is to showcase different practical approaches for capacity strengthening and training in Systems Science during the workshop.

Thank you very much in advance for your help and suggestions.

Please do not hesitate to share any relevant initiatives or contacts that could be of interest.

Best regards,
Maela

NEW TRAINING OPPORTUNITY: Modelling the Agroecological Transition of Your Territory by MAELAB

🗓️ June 23–25, 📍Colmar (INRAE Center)

👉 For more information, click here that will take you to the agenda to access the event details.

Following the new event recently added to the CopSyS agenda and shared below:

🤝 As a reminder, the publication of these resources and courses on the platform is open to everyone, including non-members, but it is also intended to foster collaborations among CopSyS members.

📩 Please do not hesitate to contact us if you would like to share and promote additional courses, training opportunities, or resources on the platform: https://system-s.org/?Contact

Kind regards.

We are delighted to introduce you to DEPE, in which two of our members are involved: Lise Paresys and Océane Espin. They have kindly agreed to give us a presentation:

Dear CopSyS Community,

We are Lise Paresys and Océane Espin, both agronomists engaged at the science-policy interface at INRAE’s Directorate for collective scientific assessment, foresight and advanced studies (DEPE).

The DEPE informs public policy, feeds the societal debate, and identifies research gaps on complex issues related to agriculture, food and the environment. It sets up ad hoc committees of experts and coordinates collective scientific assessments (CSAs), foresight and advanced studies, commissioned by public authorities or by INRAE itself.

Lise coordinates CSAs and advanced studies, and Océane is involved in foresight studies. CSAs are multidisciplinary and critical analyses that identify consensual, controversial, uncertain and missing knowledge in the academic literature. Advanced studies address more targeted issues than CSAs but involve additional data processing and analyses. Foresight studies explore possible futures. They draw on academic and stakeholders’ knowledge to formulate evolutionary hypotheses and scenarios over the next few decades.

The DEPE shall comply with the French National Charter for Expertise and follow principles of competence, plurality of disciplines and approaches, impartiality and transparency. We thus implement and develop methods to meet these requirements, questioning both the system within which we operate, and the system that we study in our projects.

We seek to explore and strengthen methods for interdisciplinary analysis and stakeholder engagement, and look forward to contributing to a collaborative learning community.

You can find out more about DEPE by visiting the following pages:
DEPE website
Completed CSAs, advanced studies, foresight studies
Guidelines for conducting CSAs and advanced studies
Guidelines for conducting foresight studies (French version only)

Dear Members, 

We are pleased to announce the upcoming workshop DAAFRICA'2026 – Data Science and AI for Agriculture in Africa 🌍🌱, held in conjunction with the 18th African Conference on Research in Computer Science and Applied Mathematics (CARI 2026) 💻📊.

🌾 About the Workshop
In line with the African Union's Digital Agriculture Strategy, this workshop focuses on how data science and AI can address critical challenges in African agriculture, such as productivity, climate variability, and food security 🌦️🍽️.

📅 Date: October 21, 2026
📍 Location: Cotonou, Benin
💻 Format: Hybrid event (in-person & online participation)

📢 Call for Short Papers

Researchers, academics, and students 🎓ar invited to submit short papers (up to 6 pages) for oral presentations or posters.

Topics include, but are not limited to:
🚜 Smart Farming and Yield Forecasting
💧 Agroecology and Water Management
🌿 Crop Monitoring and Plant Health
🍲 Food Safety, Security, and Nutrition
⚖️ Policy and Regulation in Digital Agriculture

KEY DATES
📄 Submission Deadline: June 26, 2026
✉️ Notification to Authors: July 15, 2026
📝 Camera-ready Deadline: July 31, 2026
🎤 Workshop Date: October 21, 2026

📚 Submission Guideline:
✅ Be written in English
✅ Follow the LNCS format
✅ Be submitted electronically via EasyChair

For more details on submission and registration, please visit the official website or contact the workshop chairs, Paulin Melatagia and Mathieu Roche.

🤝 Participants are also very welcome to attend the workshop even if they do not plan to submit a paper and simply wish to join the discussions and exchanges.

📌 You can also find more information in the CopSyS agenda

We look forward to your participation to this important discussion on the digital transformation of African agriculture 🌍✨.

Dear Members,

We are pleased to announce a call for papers for an upcoming Special Issue of the journal Agricultural Water Management. 🌱

🌊 Focus of the Special Issue:
This Special Issue aims to address the pressing challenges of water scarcity, climate change, and growing water demand in Mediterranean agriculture 🌡️💧🌾.

It explores how integrated approaches — considering the interactions between Water, Energy, Food, and Ecosystems (WEFE Nexus) ⚡🍃🌍 — can support resilient and sustainable farming systems.

We invite interdisciplinary research contributions covering topics such as:

💦 Irrigation management and water allocation strategies
📊 Economic and policy instruments
🧠 Modelling approaches and decision-making
🤝 Governance mechanisms influencing resource use
📝 Submission Information

The submission period opens on June 1, 2026, and will remain open until December 31, 2026 📅.

To submit your work:

🌐 Submission Site: Editorial Manager®
📄 Article Type: Please select "VSI: WEFE Nexus" when submitting your manuscript

All submissions will undergo a rigorous peer-review process by at least two independent experts 🔍👩‍🔬👨‍🔬. Once accepted, articles will be published in a regular issue and simultaneously collected in the online special issue 💻.

✨ Why Contribute?

Publishing in this Special Issue offers significant advantages, including higher visibility on ScienceDirect 🚀. Historically, special content articles receive twice as many downloads and 20% more citations within the first 24 months compared to regular issues 📈.

👥 Guest Editors
Simona Consoli, University of Catania, Italy 🇮🇹
Hatem Belhouchette, Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Montpellier, France 🇫🇷

Dear ISG members,

Thank you very much for your participation in our last meeting in April. 
As a reminder for those who attended, and for the information of others, here are the main actions that we had decided to undertake:

• Refine and further detail the CopSyS workshop program, including clearer objectives and expected outcomes for each session (Maela and Jacques).
• Expand and complete the list of invited participants for both the workshop and related activities (all participants).
• Improve interaction formats in future webinars by allocating more time for discussions and exchanges.
• Promote upcoming events and encourage participation, including dissemination through partner networks and confirmation of attendance to Maela for the France-CGIAR workshop

You can find the report of our last meeting at this link.

/!\ It is also time to set a date for our next monthly meeting! To ensure the date works for as many people as possible, please complete THIS SURVEY before 1rst June, to let us know which time slot would suit you best.

Thank you for your collaboration!

Dear ISG members,

As a reminder, our first webinar featuring Ken Giller will take place today.

This first link below will allow you to join the webinar: https://institut-agro.zoom.us/j/95755559750?pwd=khyMdEP59NprzsbnJ871AGUZ1BwTnV.1

while this second link (reserved for ISG members) will give you access to a 15-minute debrief session following the webinar : https://institut-agro.zoom.us/j/94496448104?pwd=rsP4EsYP1MbD7cOitA5prYviaBJ8il.1

Looking forward to seeing you online!

Maela

Dear CopSyS members,

We are pleased to invite you to the Second CopSyS Workshop, which will take place

📅 on June 29, 2026, from 10:30 am to 4:00 pm (CET)

📍 in Montpellier, France, with the possibility to join online

Take a look at the program: https://system-s.org/?WorkshopFrance

This workshop will be held just ahead of the IFSA Congress, providing a great opportunity to connect, exchange ideas, and build momentum with the community.

🎯The objective of this workshop is to collectively advance the development of CopSyS.

🤝As CopSyS is a collaborative and evolving community, your ideas, perspectives, and contributions are essential. We aim to create an open space for discussion where everyone can actively shape future directions and initiatives.

✉️ If you are interested in participating, please feel free to contact us to confirm your attendance and indicate whether you will participate in person or online, or to express your interest at: maela.roudaut@supagro.fr

We would be delighted to have you join us for this moment of exchange.

Let us know if you want to participate!

Kind regards.

CopSyS team.

Dear CopSys Members

I’m sharing this message from Myrto, who is looking for a postdoc position. She has just moved to the Netherlands and is therefore primarily interested in a postdoc there, but is open to other opportunities. 

" After successfully defending my PhD thesis in February, I am looking for my next research challenge starting in late 2026 or early 2027.

My doctoral research in agronomy focused on pesticide reduction at the landscape level. I mobilized systems-oriented, comprehensive approaches (eg: analysis of collective action’s potential for pesticide reduction) and co-design methods (eg: scenario co-design).

I am interested in discussing Post-Doc opportunities related to farming systems design, landscape approaches in agricultural science and the upscaling of agroecological transitions.

If you think my profile could match your current or future projects, I would love to connect and share more about my work.

Feel free to reach out to me directly or to share this message with your colleagues! (email: myrto.parmantier@inrae.fr)

Myrto PARMANTIER'

Dear ISG members,

This message serves as a friendly reminder to let us know your availability for the next meeting this June.

Please share your availability with us before the end of the week by clicking on this link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeIpzD2mEhyQsAyg6pSlYnLj_-9tNdHu8eJ_EIQF914Ff_Qow/viewform

King regards.

Maela

Dear CopSyS members,

I hope this message finds you well.

We are pleased to invite you to the second CopSyS webinar.

Date: 9 July 2026

Time: 16:00 CET

Speaker: Audrey Etienne, R&D Manager – Cropping Systems Modeling at MAELAB

Title: Supporting agroecological and bioeconomic transition of territories through integrated modeling and participative scenarios analysis

Audrey will address three key points:

· The need for dynamic and multi-scale approaches to conceptualize and support transitions.

· The potential and limitations of integrated agrifood systems modeling for building and analyzing scenarios with stakeholders.

· The necessity of strengthening and sharing capacities related to these approaches.

The webinar is open to all members and external participants. Please feel free to share the registration link within your networks.

Register here

We look forward to seeing many of you there.

Warm regards,

CopSyS.

Dear ISG members,

I hope you are all doing well.

Please find below the link to the draft programme for our upcoming workshop:

https://cloud.system-s.org/s/xboKqBFQYYMC3JB

The document is collaborative and editable (this time I double-checked – it is indeed editable 😉), so please feel free to add comments, suggestions, or proposed modifications directly in the document.

In particular, if your name is mentioned as a speaker, moderator, or contributor to a session, could you please confirm that you are happy to be associated with this role and let us know if any adjustments are needed?

To allow us sufficient time to finalise the programme, develop it on the event platform, and communicate it to all participants, we would be grateful to receive your feedback befre the end of the week (ideally by 12 of June).

Thank you very much for your support and contributions. We look forward to hearing your thoughts and suggestions.

Best regards,

Maela Roudaut.

Dear CopSyS members,

The abstract submission process is now open for the 6th Global Food Security Conference: "Zero Hunger and Resilient Food Systems in an Uncertain World", which will take place from 19–22 April 2027 at Wageningen University & Research (The Netherlands).

As food systems are one of the core areas of interest within CopSyS and a major focus of work for many of our members, this conference represents an important milestone and opportunity for our community.

Key dates:

📍 Wageningen, The Netherlands
📅 Conference: 19–22 April 2027
📝 Abstract submission deadline: 11 September 2026

Conference themes:
Abstracts are invited on topics related to food and nutrition security, with particular attention to resilience, sustainability, and agency within food systems. Contributions may address:

• Emerging technologies, innovative finance, partnerships, and adaptive governance
• Biodiversity and diversity across food systems, from soils to landscapes
• Trade-offs between global and local food system models
• Climate change adaptation and resilient food system transitions
• Equity, the right to food, and the role of different actors within food systems
• Critical reflections on food security science, knowledge systems, and power dynamics

Why it may interest CopSyS members?:
The conference strongly promotes multidimensional and systemic approaches to food security challenges, making it particularly relevant for researchers and practitioners working on systems thinking, systems analysis, transformation pathways, and sustainability transitions in agriculture and food systems.

-> We encourage members of the CopSyS community to consider submitting their work and contributing to this international scientific dialogue.

For more information on submission guidelines and conference details, please consult the conference website (https://www.globalfoodsecurityconference.com/).

Kind regards.

Maela Roudaut.

Dear CopSyS members,

I hope this message finds you well.

This is a quick reminder for you before we gather for the Second CopSyS webinar.

Date: 9 July 2026

Time: 16:00 CET

Speaker: Audrey Etienne, R&D Manager – Cropping Systems Modeling at MAELAB

Title: Supporting agroecological and bioeconomic transition of territories through integrated modeling and participative scenarios analysis.

If you registered, you should already have a link with you.

👉 If you haven’t registered yet, kindly click the registration link below:

Registration Link

👉 For more Information, please visit the platform:

Webinar Page

The webinar is open to all members and external participants. So please feel free to share the registration link within your networks.

We look forward to seeing you there.

Warm regards,

CopSyS.

Dear CopSyS members,

As you well know, our second webinar will take place tomorrow, 9 July 2026 at 16:00 CET, with Audrey Etienne from MAELAB.

If you haven't registered yet, there is still enough time so to do. You can register via the link below:

Registration link

For those who have already registered, please locate the confirmation mail you received upon registration, as it contains the link to access the webinar. Or either ways, you will receive a reminder 30 minutes before we start the meeting.

For more information about the webinar, please visit the webinar page:

Webinar page

We are also looking ahead to the next webinars within the series, which will resume after the summer break. We would like to invite you to suggest topics you would like to see covered, and if possible, propose a speaker for one of the upcoming webinars. All suggestions will be deliberated upon.

Please send your suggestions via the platform.

We look forward to seeing many of you tomorrow.

Warm regards,

CopSyS

Dear Doctoral Education Working Group members,

We hope you are all doing well!

Following the fruitful discussions shared during our recent workshop, we are pleased to let you know that the Concept Note has now been revised to reflect the feedback received.

Among the main updates, a third pillar has been introduced to better capture the ideas and priorities that emerged during our discussions. We encourage you to review this new structure and let us know if you feel it accurately reflects our shared vision.

📄 A new version is ready for your review!

We would greatly appreciate it if you could take some time to:

• review the revised draft;
• suggest any modifications, additions, or comments directly in the document.

👉 You can find the document in the "Most Recent Documents" section of the platform:

📅 Timeline

Our objective is to have a solid Concept Note to discuss with potential funding agencies by the end of September. To achieve this, we would be grateful to receive your feedback on this first draft by the end of July.


Thank you in advance for your time and continued engagement in the Working Group.

We look forward to receiving your suggestions!

Best regards,
Maela.

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