Her research is part of IFP's RUSE project: “Pour une Résilience Urbaine, Sociale et Environnementale”. Supported by AFD, RUSE aims to develop an interdisciplinary approach to monitoring urban and socio-ecological dynamics in the Pondicherry region.

At the scale of Pondicherry, the analysis focuses on the ways in which water is factored in planning documents. Two case studies, the Uppar drain and the Thengaitthitu lagoon, aim not only to confront planning and on-site observation, but also to examine social practices towards water bodies. This analysis is therefore an attempt to approach the social dimension of water bodies, considering people’s perception towards their very presence, their uses and the eventual necessity of their "valorization".

One of the priorities of the Water-Pondi project is to characterize all the mechanisms of degradation (in quantity and quality) of the surface and groundwater bodies that surround two ancient lakes, one in a rural area, the Ousteri/Ossudu lake, and the other in an urban area, the Kanagan tank. Both are no longer used for surface irrigation. What new raison d’être can allow their protection? While supporting colleagues in bio-physical sciences from other institutions (hydrology, sedimentology…), the IFP's team of social scientists is focusing on studying the multifarious – sometimes competing –  uses of the tanks and their multiple stakeholders, including representations of the two water bodies in the popular imagination. This research is conducted in synergy with the programme on conservation ecology launched by the department of Ecology of the IFP (Ousteri and Kaliveli lakes).

This event was an important step towards reinforcing Indo-French Cooperation in higher education, research, and innovation. It brought together a wide range of stakeholders from the economic and academic ecosystems, who enthusiastically took part in intensive exchanges. IFP participated in the follow-up meeting of the Living Lab that had taken place in Bangalore and is a partner of the inclusive Indo-French network Agriculture, land, water, food, and nutrition.

Lecture by T.S.Suryanarayanan, Vivekananda Institute of Tropical Mycology, Chennai.

Fungal endophytes invariably reside in the living tissues of plants without causing any disease. They produce, in culture, an array of secondary metabolites with novel molecular architecture exhibiting desirable bioactivities; these include anti-bacterial, anti-malarial, anti-insect, anti-algal and anti-cancer activities. Some endophytes produce the metabolites of their host plant as well. Furthermore, endophyte presence enhances the stress tolerance of their host plants to abiotic and biotic stressors leading to the view that they could be used as an alternative for plant breeding aiming towards crop improvement. Recent investigations confirm that endophytes also produce novel industrially important enzymes.  

L’agriculture indienne pe ut-elle nourrir la population sans détruire l’environnement ? by Frédéric Landy (IFP-Université Paris Nanterre)

Housefull! The first talk in our new series of lectures, held on Nov. 19, was a resounding success. Frédéric Landy, the director of the IFP, gave a talk entitled “Can the population be fed without destroying the environment”?  India is statistically self-sufficient in cereals and milk, but food security is far from being achieved for all the citizens. Furthermore, the green revolution has seriously damaged the Indian environment. Other tracks must be followed such as agroecology or the payment of ecosystem services to farmers.

Other talks are scheduled for Tuesdays, 6.30 pm, first in French and later in English.They will touch upon various aspects of Indian culture and society. Admission is free.