"Food of yesterday and tomorrow" will be the theme of the next Science Bar

[Press release] - Published on March 31, 2025 in Press room

The next Science Bar organized by the University of Montpellier will take place on Thursday April 10, starting at 8:30 pm. For this edition, Clémentine Allinne, researcher in systemic agroecology, Reine Barbar, teacher-researcher in food engineering, Franck Curk, agronomist and researcher in genetics, and Valérie Poncet, PhD in genetics, will discuss the food of yesterday and tomorrow.

The Bar des Sciences has become one of Montpellier's flagship events for scientific culture, offering once a month, from January to June, a participatory citizen debate on all aspects of science. Throughout the season, scientists are invited to engage in a dialogue in which their knowledge and practices are not only shared, but also discussed. The season is co-produced by the UM's scientific culture services and its partners: Inrae, Inserm and IRD. This evening will be translated into sign language.

A Science Bar dedicated to food

Around 7 out of 10 French people start their day with a cup of coffee. Once an exotic product, it has become an essential part of our daily lives, testifying to the complexity and interconnectedness of our food systems. This apparent accessibility masks a more fragile reality.

Many of the everyday foodstuffs readily available in supermarkets are produced via complex supply chains, and come from the ends of the earth. Food production, whether local or remote, is increasingly vulnerable to environmental hazards. Climate change is putting a severe strain on crop plants, whose different varieties do not always have the time to adapt to rapidly changing environmental conditions.

In Montpellier's research laboratories, numerous teams are studying these phenomena to better understand and anticipate them. It is imperative to adopt more sustainable, environmentally-friendly practices to guarantee food security for future generations. This means diversifying crops, promoting agroecology, rational water management and reducing our carbon footprint. From studying the genome of coffee trees to imagine the most resistant plants, to the history of local citrus fruits to avoid the announced end of orange juice, to the transformation of the most suitable cereals and legumes, scientists are working to meet the new food challenges. Four of these experts will answer your questions at the Science Bar "Will we soon be deprived of our coffee? From the past to the future of food".

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

• Clémentine ALLINNE (CIRAD) is a researcher in systemic agroecology. She specializes in tropical agroforestry systems integrating coffee, cocoa and banana, and seeks to mobilize biodiversity to strengthen the resilience of agroecosystems, reconciling economic, social and ecological sustainability.
• Reine BARBAR (IATE - INRAE and Université de Montpellier) is a teacher-researcher in food engineering. Her work focuses on sustainable food, local culinary heritages and their adaptation to societal needs, and the processing of cereals and legumes for agro-ecological and food transitions.
• Franck CURK (AGAP Institut - CIRAD, INRAE, Institut Agro Montpellier and Université de Montpellier) is an agronomist and genetics researcher. He studies the diversification mechanisms of cultivated citrus fruits. He managed the citrus collection of the San Giuliano citrus conservatory (CRB Citrus INRAE-Cirad) for 10 years.
• Valérie PONCET (DIADE Plant Diversity, Adaptation and Development - IRD, CIRAD and Université de Montpellier) has a PhD in genetics. Research Director at IRD, she studies the role of evolutionary processes in shaping the diversity and adaptations of coffee plants in their native African environment.