Réseau DEPHY Ecophyto

What Réseau DEPHY Ecophyto does

Réseau DEPHY Ecophyto is a French national public network established in 2010 as a core component of the government's Ecophyto plan to demonstrate, test, and disseminate agricultural techniques that reduce pesticide use while maintaining farm productivity and economic performance. The network is coordinated by ACTA (Association des Chambres d'Agriculture France) and funded by the French Ministry of Agriculture and the Office Français de la Biodiversité (OFB). It comprises two principal programs: DEPHY FERME, a network of 180 farmer groups across roughly 2000 demonstration farms testing reduced-input practices, and DEPHY EXPE, 41 experimental projects developing innovative cropping systems with zero or low pesticide use. The EcophytoPIC portal (ecophytopic.fr) serves as the central knowledge platform, providing access to specialized databases including ABAA (pest and beneficial organism identification), BSV (national crop health surveillance bulletins), CEPP (pesticide savings certificates), and tools such as GECO (collaborative knowledge exchange) and Climadiag (climate risk assessment built with Météo France and Solagro).

The network serves four principal user constituencies: professional farmers across all major French agricultural sectors (arable, arboriculture, vegetables, viticulture, horticulture, and tropical crops); agricultural advisors and extension agents from the Chambers of Agriculture and technical institutes; public-sector researchers (INRAE, CIRAD, CNRS); and agricultural training institutions. All resources — databases, technical sheets, project results, and tools — are provided free of charge under the publicly funded model. The network maintains a coordination headcount of approximately 8 employees and operates as a non-commercial public extension service rather than a revenue-generating enterprise, with a strategic partner ecosystem spanning 50+ institutions including INRAE, CIRAD, ARVALIS, CTIFL, IFV, ITB, FREDON, Météo France, Solagro, CNRS, AFAF, and regional Chambers of Agriculture across metropolitan France and overseas territories.

Name

Réseau DEPHY Ecophyto

Legal name

Réseau DEPHY Ecophyto

Website

https://ecophytopic.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Réseau DEPHY Ecophyto is a French national public network, established in 2010 and coordinated by ACTA, that demonstrates and disseminates pesticide-reduction techniques across French agriculture through 180 farmer groups, 41 experimental projects, and the EcophytoPIC knowledge portal serving farmers, advisors, and researchers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agricultural extension services

NAICS

Environmental Consulting Services (54162), Environmental Consulting Services (541620)

SIC

Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro primary industry

Soil Health & Regenerative Agronomy Consulting (AFACABAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Agroforestry & Perennial Cropping Systems (EUABABAD)

Keywords

• Integrated pest management
• Agricultural knowledge platform
• Pesticide reduction network
• Agroecology resources
• Crop protection databases

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Réseau DEPHY Ecophyto operates a free national web-based knowledge platform (EcophytoPIC) and two program networks — DEPHY FERME (180 farmer groups demonstrating pesticide reduction techniques) and DEPHY EXPE (41 experimental projects testing innovative cropping systems) — to support farmers, advisors, and researchers in reducing pesticide use while maintaining agricultural performance across all French crop sectors.

Product overview

Réseau DEPHY Ecophyto is a French national network and knowledge portal focused on integrated pest management (PIC) and pesticide reduction in agriculture. The core platform EcophytoPIC serves as a centralized hub providing access to multiple specialized databases (ABAA for pest identification, BSV for crop health bulletins, CEPP for pesticide savings certificates) and tools for agricultural professionals. The DEPHY component comprises two main programs: DEPHY FERME with 180 farmer groups demonstrating pesticide-reducing techniques, and DEPHY EXPE with experimental projects testing innovative zero-pesticide crop systems across tropical and temperate agriculture. Complementary tools include GECO for collaborative knowledge sharing and Climadiag for climate adaptation planning.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• DEPHY FERME: Network of farmer groups demonstrating and experimenting with reduced pesticide practices
• DEPHY EXPE
• GECO

Products and services

• EcophytoPIC Free national web portal providing access to databases, technical resources, regulatory information, and the DEPHY network resources for farmers, advisors, and researchers in France.
• DEPHY FERME Network of 180 farmer groups across France that test and demonstrate techniques for reducing pesticide use while maintaining agricultural performance.
• DEPHY EXPE Experimental projects (currently 41) testing innovative crop protection systems with zero or reduced pesticide use across various agricultural sectors and regions.
• ABAA Database (Auxiliaires, Bioagresseurs et Adventices) Database for identifying and learning about beneficial organisms (auxiliaries), crop pests (bioagresseurs), and weeds (adventices), with identification sheets and educational quizzes.
• BSV (Bulletins de Santé du Végétal) National crop health surveillance bulletins providing regular updates on pest and disease pressure across French agricultural regions.
• CEPP (Certificats d'Économie de Produits Phytopharmaceutiques) Database Database of certified economic practices that contribute to pesticide reduction, rewarding farmers for adopting alternative protection methods.
• GECO Collaborative knowledge management and exchange platform for agroecological transition, featuring thematic spaces and a shared knowledge base for advisors and farmers.
• Climadiag Agriculture et Forêt Climate risk assessment tool that calculates local climate indicators to evaluate agricultural vulnerability to climate change, developed in partnership with Météo France and Solagro.

Quantifiable outcome

• 180 farmer groups demonstrating pesticide reduction techniques through DEPHY FERME network
• +2 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

20 partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• APCA - Chambres d'agriculture FrancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLead coordinating partner for the DEPHY network, providing agricultural extension services and farmer outreach across all French regions through the national Chambers of Agriculture network.
• ACTAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAgricultural technical institute coordinating the network's technical activities and knowledge management for agricultural extension.
• INRAEcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment - major research partner contributing to experimental projects and scientific validation of results.
• CIRADcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAgricultural Research Center for International Development - key partner for tropical agriculture projects (BANABIO, ST0P) and overseas territories.
• ARVALIScoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTechnical institute for arable crops - provides expertise for grandes cultures sector and contributes to RMT ClimA climate adaptation network.
• CTIFLcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTechnical Center for Fruit and Vegetables - contributes expertise for arboriculture and vegetable sectors, hosts events like varietal presentations.
• IFVcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFrench Institute for Vine and Wine - provides viticulture expertise and contributes to copper reduction resources and grape protection research.
• Météo FrancemajorTechnology or IntegrationNational meteorological service - partner for Climadiag tool and climate adaptation resources, providing climate data for agricultural decision support.
• SolagromajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAgricultural research association - develops Climadiag Agriculture et Forêt tool and contributes to climate adaptation and energy tools.
• ARMEFLHORcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAgricultural and horticultural research organization for Réunion - leads ST0P project for tropical zero-pesticide production systems.
• GRAB MartiniquemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGroup for Research in Organic Agriculture Martinique - partner in BANABIO project for organic banana production systems.
• IT2 (Innovation Terminal 2)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTechnical institute for tropical crops - partner for tropical agriculture projects including banana production systems research.
• ITB (Institut Technique de la Betterave)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSugar beet technical institute - contributes to PHENAUFOL project for automated disease detection and agricultural robotics.
• RMT AgroforesterieScoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMixed Technology Network bringing together 50+ partners for agroforestry research, technical tools, and field implementation support.
• RMT ClimAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMixed Technology Network for climate change adaptation in agriculture - coordinates climate tools, studies, and adaptation resources.
• FREDONmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational federation for plant health organizations - contributes to crop pest surveillance (BSV network) and Robocats robotics project.
• Association Française d'Agroforesterie (AFAF)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFrench agroforestry association - manages Agroforestry Fund and supports farmer projects in agroforestry implementation.
• OFB (Office Français de la Biodiversité)coreOthersGovernment agency co-financing the Ecophyto plan and DEPHY network operations.
• CNRSmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational Center for Scientific Research - leads GreenShield project developing automated pest control through laser technology.
• Regional Agricultural Chambers (CRAs)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegional Chambers in Grand Est, Bretagne, Normandie, Pays de la Loire, Occitanie, Bourgogne Franche-Comté, Auvergne Rhône-Alpes, and others for local farmer outreach.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• EIT Food: European food systems innovation community funded by the EU to accelerate agrifood innovation, including IPM and sustainable farming initiatives. Operates across multiple EU countries (broader regional scope than DEPHY's France focus) with comparable public-good, multi-stakeholder knowledge and innovation mandate.

Broad incumbents

• INRAE: France's primary public agricultural and environmental research institute. INRAE is a core research partner of DEPHY and runs its own large-scale IPM and agroecology programs, making it the leading institutional peer for publicly-funded French agricultural research with farmer-facing components.
• CIRAD: French public research center for tropical and Mediterranean agricultural development, co-leading DEPHY's tropical crops projects (BANABIO, ST0P). CIRAD's overseas territory research programs share DEPHY's farmer network and IPM trial methodology across a regional subset.
• APCA - Chambres d'agriculture France: National federation of regional Chambers of Agriculture providing farmer-facing advisory services across all French regions. Operates parallel extension programs and is DEPHY's lead coordinating partner for farmer outreach through CRAs, making it the most directly comparable French agricultural extension network.
• CABI - Centre for Agriculture and Biosciences International: International not-for-profit agricultural information service providing pest management decision support, plant clinic data, and knowledge platforms to farmers and extension workers across developing countries. CABI is the closest global-scale peer to EcophytoPIC in terms of IPM knowledge dissemination and digital decision-support delivery.

Direct peers

• IOBC-WPRS: International Organisation for Biological and Integrated Control of Noxious Animals and Plants, West Palaearctic Regional Section. IOBC coordinates international IPM and biocontrol research and knowledge exchange across Europe and Mediterranean regions — a directly comparable IPM knowledge network.
• ARVALIS - Institut du Végétal: French arable crops technical institute running farmer trial networks, decision support tools, and technical publications for grandes cultures. ARVALIS is a core DEPHY partner and operates structurally similar IPM/agronomy research and extension programs in the same institutional ecosystem.
• ACTA - Association de Coordination Technique Agricole: Parent coordinating body for French agricultural technical institutes that oversees DEPHY and runs parallel knowledge programs (such as RMT networks) serving farmers and advisors. ACTA operates the same public-interest agricultural extension mission and coordinates multiple national programs with similar multi-stakeholder structures.
• FiBL - Research Institute of Organic Agriculture: Switzerland-headquartered research institute conducting practical research and knowledge transfer on organic and sustainable agriculture across Europe. FiBL runs a similar combine of farm network trials, applied research, and farmer/advisor knowledge platforms, making it the closest international peer to DEPHY.

Emerging players

• PAN Europe - Pesticide Action Network Europe: European NGO network focused on pesticide reduction advocacy, independent science communication, and policy engagement on pesticide regulation. PAN Europe works alongside public IPM programs like DEPHY but with NGO rather than government structure — comparable mission, different operating model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ecophytopic
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCJE1D40J_Kf3fHo9zi0Z9CA
• Facebookfacebook.com/DEPHYEcophyto
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/r-seau-dephy-ecophyto

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Réseau DEPHY Ecophyto