[Filled] Postdoc in statistics and econometrics: Analysis of the determinants of pesticides use in France

Work environment, missions and activities
You will be welcomed at the Rural Development Observatory (US-ODR), an INRAE ​​service unit which brings together some fifteen scientific and technical agents.
The ODR unit participates in the FAST project (Facilitate public Action to exit from peSTicides) of the ANR-PPR Cultivate and Protect Otherwise 2020 (grant 20–PCPA–0005) whose objective is to provide a theoretical framework and strong empirical evidence of the effectiveness of various public actions aimed at triggering a large-scale transition to pesticide-free agriculture.
As part of task 1.2 of this project “Analysis and quantification of the effects of the determinants of pesticide use”, the US-ODR is recruiting an engineer/post-doc statistician/econometrician.

Your work will focus on the modeling of annual sales of plant protection products (PPP), a proxy for the use of PPPs on a fine scale. The importance of using PPP depends on factors reflecting different situations in terms of:
– land (size of farms, type of plot, etc.);
– agricultural demography (age of farmers, installation dynamics, etc.);
– agronomy (crop rotation and sequences, specific practices, etc.);
– savings (income, input prices, etc.);
– policies (Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), taxes, etc.);
– biophysics (climate and soils, agricultural landscapes, etc.);
– organizational (formal or informal peer groups – GIEE, etc.);
– merchant (commitment to quality signs, short circuits, etc.).
A focus will be made on the impact of public policies over the long term (additionality over time), in particular that of agri-environmental policies (CAP aid, binding zoning) and official quality label policies (SIQO).

To meet the objectives of the mission, you will work in collaboration with the engineers of the team who will supervise this work, with skills in statistics / econometrics and research on the socio-economic determinants of agricultural practices, on three main tasks:
– bibliographic analysis of the determinants of pesticide use;
– modeling of the use of pesticides, according to the determinants selected, by spatial econometric type approaches (multi-level and spatial methods);
– writing of scientific articles and communication of results.
To this end, several databases integrating the information system on agricultural systems and policies (SISPA) developed by the US-ODR will be mobilized (spatialized BNV-d, Graphic Parcel Register, operators engaged in SIQO, monitoring of aid PAC), as well as agricultural statistics resources (Agricultural Practices surveys, RICA, RA 2020, etc.)


Training and skills required

– Master/Engineer and/or Doctorate
– During your course you must have acquired a solid foundation in statistics / econometrics as well as a good command of programming, preferably with the R language.

The position requires:
– to know how to collect, format and process data;
– the ability to work independently and in collaboration with team members;
– a spirit of conceptualization, analysis and synthesis;
– intellectual curiosity;
– rigor and reliability;
– to be proactive;
– to write reports or documents;
– to know how to present the results of a study or research to different audiences;
– fluency in English for writing scientific articles and communicating results in an international context is a plus.

Special conditions of practice:
Obligation to respect statistical and professional secrecy within the existing legislative framework.


Your quality of life at INRAE

Your activity will be integrated into research activities relating to agroecology and involving missions of public interest. The INRAE ​​Auzeville – Castanet‐Tolosan campus (near Toulouse) offers a privileged working environment and benefits from the proximity of means of transport (metro and bus on its own lane, Canal du Midi cycle path).

By joining INRAE, you will be able to benefit (depending on the type of contract and its duration):
– up to 30 days off + 15 RTT per year (for full-time);
– up to three days of telework per week (for full-time);
– parenting support: CESU childcare, leisure services;
– skills development schemes: training, career guidance advice;
– holiday and leisure services: holiday vouchers, accommodation at preferential rates;
– sports and cultural activities;
– subsidized collective catering.

For further information, please refer to the attached document (in French).

Job location : Castanet Tolosan (Toulouse)
Nature of the job : Post-doc
Contact person : Thomas Poméon, ; Anna Lungarska, ; Tifenn Corre,
Application deadline : 15/12/2022
Attached file : cdd_econometre_fast_2023.pdf