SOCLE research project · supported by ADEME
All of French agriculture, flow by flow
What the fourteen main supply chains produce, process, trade with the world and consume: a single, complete view, from harvest to final uses.
One dataset, several ways in
Every diagram on this site is a point in this space: choose a level of detail, a territory, a view, a theme, then the year, the unit and the data.
One dataset, several ways in
Every diagram on this site is a point in this space: choose a level of detail, a territory, a view, a theme, then the year, the unit and the data.
selected availableplanned
Supply-chain Sankey diagrams
Product flows of the fourteen supply chains studied, from production to uses, at three levels of detail: chain by chain, all chains in one summary view, and agriculture as a whole.
Close-ups
Cross-cutting views, across all supply chains, each on a specific question: trade with partner countries, self-sufficiency, animal feed…
Planned Human food · Production methods · Non-food uses · Processing and co-products
Coefficient reference
Unit flow diagrams of national agricultural supply chains, derived from the SOCLE mapping, with their data available for download.
Extensions
The project's two other strands: the environmental pressures of the supply chains (energy, nitrogen, land use, irrigation water) and the direct and indirect jobs linked to them.
Planned Environmental pressures · Jobs
The project in a nutshell
The SOCLE project aims to improve knowledge of the biophysical structure of agricultural product flow networks in France and abroad, as well as of their environmental impacts and their effects on employment. It follows on from the Référentiel Flux project carried out in 2022-2023.
Context and challenges
The development of the bioeconomy raises questions about competition for the use of agricultural resources, which must meet food needs (human and animal), energy needs and the supply of materials.
Moreover, the observation that planetary boundaries are being exceeded makes it urgent to identify precisely the causes of environmental impacts — causes that can be difficult to untangle because of globalised production-distribution networks.
Beyond these environmental questions, French agriculture must today face economic and social challenges in order to renew itself and meet consumer demands.
At the intersection of all these challenges, the SOCLE project proposes to improve knowledge of the biophysical structure of agricultural product flow networks in France and abroad, as well as of their environmental and employment impacts. To this end, it brings together research partners, supply chain stakeholders and two consulting firms.
Objectives
The main scientific objective of the project is to have, for a recent year, a database describing:
- National and international flows of agricultural products, building on the very detailed knowledge of a Référentiel Flux updated and deepened to describe French supply chains
- The environmental pressures exerted by French supply chains in terms of energy, nitrogen, land use and blue (irrigation) water, with a "footprint" perspective
- Direct and indirect employment linked to French supply chains
At the operational level, SOCLE aims to enrich discussions on supply chain strategies, considering simultaneously planetary boundaries, international dependencies, and social and economic realities.
Project partners
The project relies on: - STEEP team, Inria / LJK Grenoble, project coordination
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7 technical institutes or interbranch organisations, members of FILARMONI:
INTERCÉRÉALES – cereals
IDELE – beef and dairy
IFCE – horse meat
CTIFL – fruit and vegetables
Terres Univia – oilseeds and protein crops -
BASIC: a consulting firm specialised in the collection and analysis of public data
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TerriFlux: expertise in flow modelling and visualisation through Sankey diagrams
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UMR SMART, INRAE Rennes
- Financial support from ADEME (the French Agency for Ecological Transition)
🔗 Related resources
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Material flow model – SOCLE project (ADEME)
Project presentation page on the ADEME website. -
Material flow reference framework (RefFlux) – RMT Filarmoni
Results of the flow mapping work carried out within the RMT Filarmoni. -
Référentiel Coefficients Unit flow diagrams of national agricultural supply chains derived from the RefFlux mapping
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Article on RefFlux Working paper: Flow diagrams of French agricultural supply chains from field to plate — towards the production of a common reference framework
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Presentation of the article
Presentation of the article at the 2024 Social Science Research Days (JRSS)