“Irrigation, agriculture, and climate change: How are our soils faring?” will be the theme of the next Science Bar

[Press Release] - Published on May 14, 2025 in Press Room, Science and Society

On Thursday, May 22, at 8:30 p.m., the University of Montpellier is hosting another edition of the Science Bar as part of its “Science With and For Society” (SAPS) initiative. On this occasion, three researchers will discuss the topic of soil health: Alain Brauman, ecologist and research director at IRD; Mickael Hedde, ecologist and research director at INRAE; and Thierry Ruf, agronomist, geographer, and emeritus research director at IRD.

The Bar des sciences has become one of Montpellier’s flagship events for science culture, offering a monthly participatory public discussion on all aspects of science from January through June. Throughout the season, scientists are invited to engage in a dialogue where their knowledge and practices are not only shared but also open to discussion. The season is co-produced by the UM’s scientific culture departments and its partners: INRAE, INSERM, IRD, and Radio Aviva. Sign language interpretation is provided for this event.

A Science Bar dedicated to soil health

Whether it is loose, dry, sloped, or paved, the ground is most often perceived in our daily lives as a simple surface: the ground we walk on, and a valuable asset to own. Upon further reflection, we arrive at the concept of a substrate: it is in the ground that the plants we eat and use every day take root.

However, soil is not merely a resource; it is an ecosystem, just like water, for example: it has a complex composition that is subject to chemical processes, and it is home to a wide variety of living organisms, ranging from microscopic bacteria to mammals weighing several kilograms. There is a whole world living right beneath our feet. Soil health depends on multiple factors, both internal and external; some are internal, such as its composition, while others are external, such as climate or pressures from human activities.

Soil science, the study of soils, examines this environment and focuses on it as its subject of study. Scientists study the composition of soil layers, irrigation, agriculture, flora and fauna, fungi, and more, providing us with a better understanding of this environment on which life on our planet is absolutely dependent.

To discuss this topic, three multidisciplinary experts will answer questions from the audience:

Alain BRAUMAN: soil ecologist, research director at IRD, and president of the French Association for Soil Studies (AFES). His research focuses on the impact of agricultural practices on soil biofunctioning (soil health) at the Eco&Sols laboratory (Eco&Sols – INRAE, IRD, Institut Agro Montpellier, and CIRAD).
Mickael HEDDE: ecologist and research director at INRAE. His research focuses on the ecology of soil organisms at the Eco&Sols laboratory (Eco&Sols – INRAE, IRD, Institut Agro Montpellier, and CIRAD).
Thierry RUF: Emeritus Research Director at IRD. He is an agronomist and geographer at the “Environment and Society Knowledge” (SENS) laboratory (IRD, CIRAD, and Paul-Valéry-Montpellier University). He leads a professional group focused on the social management of water.