Abstract
The agroecological transition is challenging farmers' practices, particularly those related to the use of pesticides. Soil quality is also a key principle of agroecology. In vineyards, soil compaction and organic matter decline are major problems, which can lead to erosion and vine mortality. As part of an agro-ecological approach, some winegrowers are seeking to overcome these problems by using horse-drawn power to mechanically weed their plots. However, little is known about the profession of equine traction service provider, and in particular about the role of the service provider-horse pair in the agroecological transition of vineyard. Our research focuses on the cooperation between winegrowers and service providers working with a horse for soil maintenance on different time scales, from the short time of service provider-horse-soil interaction to the long time of cooperation between service provider and winegrower. The aim of our research is firstly to describe and understand the intermediation roles of the service provider-horse pair between the soil and the winegrower within an agroecological approach. Secondly, our aim is to use this new knowledge to support the development of this practice. Based in the educational sciences, the aim of this research is both to produce knowledge on human activity and to design training systems to better support the transformation of work situations. In this thesis, we show that the sensitive knowledge (visual, sound, olfactory and tactile cues, and the relationship with the horse) mobilized in situ by the equine traction service provider helps him to gain a detailed understanding of the soil condition. The regular sharing of in-depth knowledge and concerns between the service provider and the winegrower over the long term facilitates the gradual adjustment of the practice to the plots, the horses' capabilities and the changes in the winegrower's strategy. This mutual appropriation strengthens and perpetuates the winegrower-provider cooperation. The usefulness of a video-training system to enhance this knowledge has been tested and validated by future users. Plans to pursue this collective and iterative design of a resource platform have been formulated to encourage the support and training of inter-trade groups.