Lydia et Claude Bourguignon

Lydia Bourguignon, doctor in food engineering, and Claude Bourguignon, agronomist and doctor in microbiology, left the French National Food Engineering Institute (INRA) because they disagreed with the orientation and themes the Institute favoured.

Following their departure, Lydia and Claude created, in 1990, their own research and analysis laboratory in soil microbiology, called LAMS - Laboratory for the Analysis of Soil Microbiology. In this laboratory, they measure the biological activity in agricultural soil, and have come to the conclusion that it is getting poorer by the day, everywhere in the world; in Europe, 90% of the soil's microbiological activity has already been destroyed.

They have written "Soil, Earth and Fields", which is considered an agro-ecology reference book.

Claude Bourguignon has taught at the first organic farming school, in Malleval, France. Lydia and Claude often give lectures and lead training sessions in soil biology.

The LAMS is the only laboratory in France to offer farmers the physical, chemical and biological analysis of their soil. When other laboratories analyse ground, LAM analyses SOIL - the difference is keen. Rather than analysing samples sent by Post, the LAMS team goes to the field and studies the soil right then and there. A complete system of tests and the use of a microscope enable them to precisely conclude as to the current state of the soil life. After this first step, physical, chemical and biological analyses are led within the laboratory, on samples taken from different depths.

This analysis is positive on two grounds. Firstly, the farmers learn about their soil capital. Secondly, they are given all the information at hand to manage their land in the most economical and rational way.

By mastering the field's vocation, the farmer is then able to plan the most suitable crop rotation, adapting to it in order to optimize product quality and make yield perennial.

Ground analyses almost always conclude that more fertilizer needs to be applied. Soil analysis, on the other hand, mostly suggests that farmers need to minimize pesticides and fertilizer; sometimes that they should stop altogether, in the prospects of respecting the earth and reaching better profitability.