Day 1, Session 2: Pinot Noir producers facing biotechnology and plant innovation for sustainability: the case of Burgundy
Lara Agnoli
School of Wine & Spirits Business, Burgundy School of Business, CEREN EA 7477, France
Florian Humbert
Pôle Bourgogne Vigne et Vin, France
florian.humbert@bourgogne-vigne-vin.fr
Efi Vasileiou
Burgundy School of Business, CEREN EA 7477, France
effrosyni.vasileiou@bsb-education.com
Federica DeMaria
Council of Agricultural Research and Economics (CREA), Italy
Extreme climatic conditions and widespread fungal diseases have significantly impacted vineyards worldwide, including those in Burgundy, renowned for its Pinot Noir. Over the last decade, Burgundy's Pinot Noir production has experienced notable declines due to spring frost, hailstorms, and disease pressures. The 2021 vintage saw production drop by nearly 50% compared to the regional average. After two more clement vintages, 2024 unfortunately sees a return to historically low production figures, for Burgundy in general but specifically and most severely for Pinot Noir. With only 264,000 hectolitres harvested, instead of the 5-year average of 407,000, a 35% loss is recorded, even lower than in 2021. The dual challenge represented by climate change and increasing disease pressures threatens Pinot Noir cultivation. At the same time, the European Green Deal's Farm to Fork Strategy plans a 50% reduction in pesticide use by 2030, imposing producers to adopt alternative solutions for sustainable viticulture.
To address these challenges, developing resilient grape varieties capable of maintaining Pinot Noir's peculiarities and terroir expression is critical. Sustainable biotechnology is implementing New Breeding Techniques (NBT), including CRISPR/Cas9 (gene editing), cisgenesis, and intragenesis, able to enhance grape variaties’ resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses, without introducing foreign DNA.
Drawing on the Technology Acceptance Model (Davis, 1989) and the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (Venkatesh et al., 2003), this study investigates the attitudes of Burgundy Pinot Noir producers towards the adoption of NBTs. A combination of qualitative and quantitative analysis highlights the compromise between preserving their traditional identity and addressing the urgent challenges posed by climate change. By examining factors such as perceived risk and usefulness, ethical concerns and compatibility with the cultural heritage of Pinot Noir production, the study aims to provide insights into how these producers balance the trade-off between innovation and tradition in the context of sustainable viticulture.
Acknowledgements
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Programme (HORIZON-CL6-2023-BIODIV-01) under grant agreement No. 101135088.
Lara Agnoli (PhD) is Associate Professor in Wine Economics and Marketing at the School of Wine & Spirits Business at the Burgundy School of Business and head of the Department of Wine Business. Her research activity is focused on farmers’ behavior towards sustainable practices, and consumer and demand analysis, with particular focus on wine and spirits. She is principal investigator in three Horizon projects funded by EU. She is member of the board of the Academy of Wine Business Research and the European Association of Wine Economists, and part of the Italian delegation of expert in Commission III “Economics and Law” at the International Organization of Vine and Wine (OIV).
Florian Humbert (PhD) is Director at Bourgogne Vine & Wine Public Interest Group (GIP BVV), regional cluster between R&D organisms, wine boards and local authorities dedicated to the development of vine and wine research projects and cooperation. GIP BVV is partner of the Shield4Grape Horizon Europe project. Florian Humbert is also associate researcher to the LIR3S (University of Burgundy), lecturer at the UB Vine & Wine Institute (IUVV Jules Guyot) and expert for the INAO (Institut National de l’Origine et de la Qualité). His research focuses on the history of the French AOC system.
Efi Vasileiou is Associate Professor in the Economics and Social Science Department at Burgundy School of Business, Dijon, France. She holds a doctorate in economics (University of Paris 2-Assas). She worked for 12 years as an Assistant Professor of Economics in the Department of Business Administration and Economics at CITY College, Europe Campus of the University of York, Thessaloniki Greece. Her research interests include green innovation and sustainable economy, economics of happiness, human resources, behavioral economics and experimental economics. More recently, she has extended her expertise into agricultural and wine economics, exploring how these sectors adapt to green practices and how consumers perceive these new sustainable approaches. She participated in six European Horizon projects and in two national research projects. She is an external doctoral thesis supervisor at the Universitat Jaume I, Castellón-Spain and at the Management School at the University of Sheffield. Her research has been published in journals such as Research Policy, Technovation, Journal of Economic Psychology, Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics, Journal of Socio-Economics and Research in Economics.
Federica DeMaria, a researcher in economics at the Council for Agricultural Research and Economics (CREA) Research Center for Agricultural Policies and Bioeconomy in Rome (Italy), has a broad spectrum of research interests. She obtained her PhD in Applied Economics at the University of Calabria in 2009. Her research spans international trade in the agri-food sector, the effects of tariff and non-tariff measures, Preferential Trade Agreements, European Trade Policies, and EU Agricultural and Environmental Policies. She also delves into the complex realm of consumers' and producers' attitudes towards genetically modified food.