L’acceptabilité sociale des projets miniers constitue un enjeu majeur pour l’industrie extractive. La littérature qui traite de la notion d’acceptabilité sociale en lien avec le monde minier se décline autour du concept de permis social d’opérer, c’est-à-dire comme un moyen d’éviter les perturbations susceptibles de compromettre les activités extractives. Cette vision réductrice transpose dans l’espace sociétal la dynamique d’implantation des projets miniers. De plus, la notion même d’acceptabilité sociale pose des difficultés de définition et de mesure. En nous inscrivant dans le monde de la pratique, nous proposons un indice visant à déterminer les risques de développement de conflits de l’entreprise avec la collectivité locale lors des premières étapes du développement des ressources minérales, au début de l’exploration avancée. Il s’applique au Québec. Le modèle utilisé repose sur une description analytique des principaux déterminants des conflits, s’articulant autour de trois pôles structurants : communauté(s) en présence, entreprise promouvant le projet, nature intrinsèque du projet minier et de son milieu naturel. Un questionnaire visant à qualifier la dynamique de communication vient compléter l’évaluation de la situation, tout en laissant davantage place aux perceptions. Les différentes variables sont pondérées et combinées afin d’obtenir un indice de risque social. L’indice est utilisable par les investisseurs, les entreprises minières, les communautés et les gouvernements. Il facilite l’identification des aspects pouvant générer plus de risque social, et le développement de dialogue entre les parties prenantes. Cet article reflète la perspective interdisciplinaire adoptée pour mener à bien le projet.

Conservation agriculture (CA) has appeared in America since 1970 as an alternative practice to conventional tillage to limit soil degradation. Despite its expansion around the world, socioeconomic analyses of its adoption, as well as its impact on agricultural yields, still suffer from imperfect identification of CA adopters. The present study therefore proposes a new composite index for measuring the adoption of CA among maize and soybean farmers in the province of Québec, Canada. A model of partial adoption of CA both at parcel and farm levels is developed to build the composite index; and experts’ judgements and the Analytical Hierarchy Process are used for weight elicitation of principles of CA. Data from 144 maize and soybean farmers are also used to assess the level of adoption of CA in Québec. The new composite index improves on the measure of adoption of conservation agriculture, as it can be used to discriminate among farmers according to the level of adoption of principles of CA. Indeed, the new composite index shows that 77.08%, 21.53% and 1.39% of maize and soybean farmers, respectively, are partial adopters, full adopters and non-adopters of CA, whereas the traditional binary indicator indicates that 83.33% and 16.67% of maize and soybean farmers, respectively, are adopters and non-adopters of CA. The results also show that many maize and soybean farmers (38.89%) have shown a certain flexibility in the adoption of CA.

Reducing adverse environmental consequences of modern industrial agriculture requires an ecological transition of agricultural practices. An important determinant of adoption of new agricultural practices by producers is the perceived profitability of these practices. The profitability of ecological agricultural practices tends to rely on improved crop prices and reduced input use. Transition to such practices often entails increased profit volatility (risk) and long-term returns (temporal profile). Ideal candidates for transition would therefore be aware of the output price and input costs dimensions of their profitability, as well as willing to assume some risks and show patience to value long-term returns. We assessed the potential for such a transition along these three dimensions (profitability, risk aversion and time preferences) in a group of soybean producers in the agricultural frontier of the Brazilian Amazon. Primary data were collected using a questionnaire and economic tests in the region of Santarém (State of Pará, Brazil). We found that, while these producers have a low-risk aversion that could favor the adoption of new ecological practices, their focus on increasing yields to enhance profits and their high discount rates considerably reduces their propensity to adopt these practices.