Alicia Rouge : Bridging agricultural sciences and public policies for sustainable agriculture
- intansetyawati17
- Apr 23
- 13 min read
Updated: Apr 25
Discover the inspiring journey of Alicia Rouge, an engineer and PhD in agronomy with a specialization in agroecology. Originally from Dijon, she now works at the Ministry of Agriculture in Paris to promote sustainable agriculture. In this compelling interview, Alicia shares her academic path, her passion for environmental issues, and her commitment to shaping the future of agriculture.
I’m Alicia Rouge, an engineer and doctor in agronomy, specializing in agroecology, and today I work for the Ministry of Agriculture.
I grew up in Dijon, in the Burgundy region, where I was fortunate to go through my entire education—from kindergarten to my doctorate, including a scientific high school diploma (Bac S), a preparatory class for top schools (BCPST), a biology degree, and an engineering school in agronomy.
My journey
I was a good student and trained as a rider, originally aiming to become an equine veterinarian. After high school, where I earned my Bac S with honors, I was accepted into a competitive preparatory class (BCPST) for veterinary and agronomy schools. This is one of the main pathways to top schools in veterinary science or agronomy (agriculture and food science). Those two years were the most intense of my life, but I was lucky to share them with classmates who, ten years later, are still close friends.
Unfortunately (though, in hindsight, fortunately), after all my hard work, I failed the entrance exam for veterinary and agronomy schools, which made me question my dream of becoming an equine veterinarian. At that point, I didn’t want to start my career at 30 (since veterinary studies with a specialization take at least six years).
Repeating my second year of preparatory school without my classmates wasn’t an option for me, so I decided to change direction. I enrolled in a biology program, preparing for the agronomy entrance exam (Concours B), hoping to enter an agronomy engineering school.
There are multiple ways to get into agronomy or veterinary schools: the BCPST or TB preparatory classes, a biology university path (which prepares for Concours B), or a technical diploma. In my case, I faced an unexpected situation: I found myself in a reform year for the Concours B, which meant I had to take two years of preparation instead of one.
During my time at university, I was able to combine my studies with a student job to support myself and enjoy my young adulthood. Some of my university courses also complemented what I had learned in preparatory school, which made me happy to learn new things.
After two years of university, I had regained my confidence and passed the Concours B with flying colors, opening the door to numerous agronomy engineering schools. I chose the school in Dijon for two reasons: (1) it would allow me to become a civil servant with The Ministry of Agriculture, meaning I would be paid to study and guaranteed a job after three years, and (2) it allowed me to stay close to my family and friends in Dijon.
In my three years of engineering school, I learned all about agronomy and chose to specialize in agroecology, drawn to the negative impacts of industrial farming on human health, the environment, and biodiversity.
In the end, after my undergraduate studies where I didn’t want to be an academic researcher, I found myself diving into the world of research. My specialization in agroecology at engineering school in Dijon sparked a deep passion, and I decided to pursue even more expertise in this field. My three years of doctoral research were the richest learning years of my life, with excellent guidance, a fascinating topic, and a great balance between professional and personal life.
Finally, after three years of training as an engineer and doctor in agronomy, specializing in agroecology, I decided to use my knowledge to work for the Ministry of Agriculture, supporting the implementation of agroecology in French farms.
What is agronomy and why did this discipline spark my interest?
Agronomy is the science that supports agriculture, which is the foundation of our food system. I’ve always been fascinated by science and living systems—understanding the mechanisms of life on Earth is essential to me. Since our food determines our existence, working in agronomy sparked my greatest interest.
Agriculture has had a unique history, especially after World War II when chemicals (synthetic fertilizers and pesticides) and mechanization rapidly developed. The industrialization of agriculture, based on chemicals and machinery, allowed for higher food production and helped solve the problem of famine in many countries. But today, the agricultural system based on chemicals and mechanization shows its limits: the environment adapts (for example, pests becoming resistant to pesticides), soils are depleting, biodiversity is being lost, and the climate is warming and becoming more unpredictable.
The challenge of producing food in a sustainable way, at a large scale, is complex, especially in the globalized world we live in. But French agriculture, being Europe’s largest producer, could serve as a model. Since 2009, numerous public policies supporting environmentally friendly farming have been introduced in France and the European Union. Environmental certification was introduced in France in 2012 to encourage farmers to adopt sustainable farming practices, like replanting hedges, diversifying crops, and covering soils.
In 2012, the concept of agroecology gained widespread attention. While there isn’t a single definition of agroecology, the term combines two scientific fields: agronomy and ecology. The goal of agroecology is to produce food while preserving the environment and biodiversity. Scientifically, agroecology focuses on optimizing natural ecological processes to achieve food production without harming the planet.
From engineering school to a PhD, what does one learn?
Agronomy engineering programs are often seen as easier, especially for students who have completed a preparatory school like BCPST. The system of exams is more like a university: we have lectures (CM) to learn, practical classes (TP/TD) to apply what we’ve learned, and exams at the end of the semester. The most valuable part of agronomy engineering school, in my opinion, is the internships. In Dijon, the first-year internship takes place on a farm. If you want to serve agriculture, it’s crucial to understand what farming really is. Working on a farm for six weeks was an eye-opening experience. Although there were moments when I wondered why I had to scrub a tractor to learn about farming, this internship was more formative than I could have imagined, and I was lucky to be mentored by a passionate and kind farming family.
In my second year of engineering school, we had to do a 6-month internship abroad: by far the best experience of my life, and it set the stage for everything that followed. I’ve loved Spanish since middle school, so it was a no-brainer for me to choose Spain for this internship—Olé! Plus, it wasn’t too far from my hometown in Burgundy, so it was a good backup plan in case I needed to rush home. For this internship in Spain, I chose a research lab focused on weeds and cover crops.
Why a research lab? Because in the first year of engineering school, as a civil servant, we also do internships in government departments. I chose to do two internships in Dijon—one at the DDT (Departmental Directorate of Territories) and one at the DRAAF (Regional Directorate of Agriculture, Food, and Forests). Oh, and you should know that in your future professional life, especially if you choose to work in the public sector, you’ll end up speaking in acronyms all the time. I was lucky to be guided during both of my internships by former students from my school, and I learned a lot about the career paths available after engineering school. My supervisor at the DDT taught me that it’s possible to do a PhD in agronomy after engineering school, even as a civil servant. This first encounter led to other meetings with former students who had chosen that path, which sparked my interest in doing an internship at a research lab for my first internship abroad.
Since this research internship was so exciting, I decided to do my final 6-month internship (the one at the end of engineering school) in another research lab and suggested to my future supervisors that I could continue the internship with a PhD. Once again, it turned out that the only INRAE (National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food, and the Environment) lab working on agroecology and weeds was located in Dijon (lucky me, I could continue my studies close to my family). My application was selected by the Ministry of Agriculture (my employer) from the list of graduates who apply for this opportunity, and that’s how I ended up doing 3 years of a PhD at the UMR (Mixed Research Unit) Agroecology in Dijon, working on cover crops and their effects on biological weed control in large-scale farming systems.
My PhD was my first real job in agronomy—it’s where you learn how to become a researcher. It’s an exciting job, but also a bit confusing, especially at the beginning. When I started my PhD, I often asked myself: “What am I doing here?” and “Am I really good enough for this?” A PhD is the highest level of education you can reach, and some of my colleagues even said it was as demanding as the BCPST prep school. It’s true—doing a PhD takes a lot of personal commitment.
But the great thing about a PhD, at least in my case, is that you get to work on a topic that you really care about. You also get to build your own research project in a way that suits you. For example, I decided that my PhD would include doing experiments in the field in France, and also in greenhouses in the United States, instead of working only on computer models. That made the work much more exciting and meaningful for me.
Research is a very complete and rich job—it helps you build many different skills. You improve your English a lot by reading and writing scientific articles. You become an expert in your research topic. You also learn how to analyze and summarize information, write clearly, work in a team, and even supervise interns. If you want, you can also teach university students while doing your PhD—that’s part of the job for some researchers.
The similarity between an engineering school and a PhD in agronomy is that, at the end of your 3 years of study, you must submit a manuscript (called a thesis in engineering school) and present (or "defend" in the case of a PhD) this project orally. This final exam is what will determine whether you graduate or not. The manuscript and oral presentation in engineering school give you a bit of an idea of what you'll need to do during your PhD, especially if you choose a final-year internship in a research lab. You'll need to structure your manuscript in 6 parts (context, problem statement, materials and methods, results, discussion, and conclusion). The main difference is that in engineering school, the internship is 6 months long, the manuscript is about 30 pages, and the oral presentation lasts 40 minutes (20 minutes for the presentation + 20 minutes for questions from the jury), while during a PhD, it's 3 years, a manuscript of about 200 pages, and the defense lasts around 3 hours (45 minutes for the presentation + about 2 hours for questions from the jury).
You can check out my thesis manuscript here:
And here's the link to my PhD defense presentation:
How does the research process work?
The first step in a PhD is reading multiple scientific articles and journals about your research topic to understand what is already known and what still needs to be figured out. This helps identify the research questions you want to address in your thesis. Once the question(s) are defined, you need to figure out how to answer them by choosing the most suitable research methods, weighing the pros, cons, and complementarity of each one. After applying the chosen method, the analysis of the results allows you to put these new findings in perspective with the current state of knowledge. This is how research work is valued when publishing a scientific article. A typical scientific paper always has 4 parts: context and problem, materials and methods used to answer the question, results, and finally, a discussion of what these results contribute to the current understanding of the topic.
Links to scientific articles from my thesis:
Another important way to showcase research work is science communication: Advances in agroecology need to be shared in simpler terms so they can be applied on the ground by agricultural professionals. This can be done by writing articles for journals, presenting research at conferences or to students, or organizing field days with farmers and agricultural technicians to discuss research in practice.
What my international experiences in Spain and the United States have taught me
By far, the best experiences of my life: going abroad alone to work in a completely unfamiliar environment is, in my opinion, the best way to learn about yourself and gain confidence.
These experiences abroad help open your mind to different ways of doing things, new languages, and cultures, while also developing your adaptability to live in harmony with local people.
These international experiences also taught me how to plan my trips in advance: finding a host lab, creating a research project, securing funding, handling administrative tasks, etc. I was lucky that for both my experiences in Spain and the United States, I was able to go under comfortable conditions thanks to supportive mentors and two financial scholarships: Erasmus for my trip to Spain and Fulbright for my trip to the U.S.
My work today
After my PhD, I wanted to use my knowledge to serve public action. And what better way for me than to work on a policy promoting agroecology across the territory as an Environmental Certification Mission Officer at the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty?
Environmental certification is a system created by the Ministry of Agriculture in 2012. The highest level of this certification is Level 3, called High Environmental Value (HEV). This certification allows certified farms to display a logo on their products. This logo is mainly found on wine bottles in stores, but it is, above all, a certification for farms adopting environmentally friendly practices. Four main areas are evaluated in the certification process: biodiversity, plant protection strategies (pesticide use), nitrogen fertilization management, and irrigation management.My role as Environmental Certification Mission Officer involves working in tandem with a colleague. It’s a big job at the Ministry, managing this key government policy. In fact, the position of Environmental Certification Officer is quite broad because we oversee the entire certification process:
From creating and updating the HEV certification framework (which reflects the latest scientific and technical advancements in agroecology and is adapted for all agricultural sectors),
to managing the national commission for environmental certification,
and coordinating on-the-ground audits with certifying bodies,
creating a database to showcase certification data,
and finally, developing a communication plan to raise awareness of this certification among farmers and consumers.
This is a civil servant position (Level A in the public service), which is accessible after completing 3 years of engineering school, following the "public servant" track. After those 3 years of study, you become an Agriculture and Environment Engineer (IAE). My 3 years of PhD research allowed me to access this position at the Ministry’s central administration. The Ministry is well-structured, with a Minister, a cabinet, a general secretariat, general directorates (3 in total), regional and departmental directorates. I work as an Environmental Certification Mission Officer within the DGPE (General Directorate for the Economic and Environmental Performance of Enterprises).
Additionally, it's important to note that not only IAE graduates hold Level A positions at the Ministry of Agriculture; there are also IPEF (Engineers from the National School of Bridges and Roads), who usually come from top institutions like Polytechnique, AgroParisTech, or ENS (Ecole Normale Supérieure), as well as ISPV (Veterinary Public Health Inspectors) and administrative officers, study engineers, and even non-civil servants, recruited on permanent contracts (CDI) or temporary contracts (CDD).
In what way is my work important for the future?
The challenge of producing food with fewer pesticides and chemical fertilizers is complex in today's economic context. However, in the face of climate change, it's crucial to balance agricultural production with environmental protection.
What I particularly love about High Environmental Value certification is its incentive and educational nature: farmers have the choice to adopt agroecological practices, and the more they adopt, the more points they earn in the certification process.Although the certification framework needs to be optimized for better adaptation to agricultural sectors, based on the latest agroecology knowledge, and a communication plan should be developed to speed up its implementation, I believe all policies and actions promoting agroecological practices in farming are key levers to move toward more environmentally friendly agriculture. Ultimately, it’s like in agroecology: several levers (technical or agroecological practices) need to be combined to reach agriculture that relies less on pesticides and synthetic fertilizers.
A day as an Environmental Certification Project Manager at the Ministry
The activities of the Environmental Certification Mission Officer at the Ministry of Agriculture are very varied. However, most of my time is spent reflecting, analyzing, and producing briefing notes to guide political decisions related to environmental certification. Working in the Ministry’s General Directorate places you close to political decision-making. Decisions about environmental certification are made within a National Commission, which the Environmental Certification Mission Officers manage the secretariat for.
A typical day would involve prioritizing tasks from the hierarchy and the Minister’s office, addressing requests from certifying bodies and certification operators, and then reflecting on the future of environmental certification (hosting working group meetings, consulting with scientific and technical experts, attending agroecology research conferences, and visiting farms and companies in the agricultural sector).
One key phrase I heard from many colleagues during my internships in engineering school is that a position at the Ministry of Agriculture is what you make of it. I have a lot of autonomy in achieving the goals set for environmental certification, and on a daily and weekly basis, I decide my schedule based on how I work best.
My life outside of work
Travel, family, friends, drawing, singing, reading, sports, hiking, ecology, piano, cooking, tourism in France and Europe, cycling... The list is long because I'm very curious, adventurous, and I always love discovering new things. I’m fortunate to be able to thrive outside of work with activities that complement my professional life, especially when it comes to creativity.
My tips
My personal motto is to live as if I were to die tomorrow, and to learn as if I were to live forever. These words come from a great humanist, Gandhi. I would also say that life is full of unexpected events, which, even though they may challenge our plans, can lead us down different yet equally rewarding paths. It all depends on how we choose— or choose not— to seize the opportunities.
It can be difficult in high school to know which direction to take, especially after general studies, but don't worry, things and our desires become clearer with experience. Also, choosing a career at one point in time doesn't mean you'll be stuck in it for life; it's never too late to evolve and change paths. A managerial position allows you to acquire skills that are useful for any other managerial role, even in a different field.
LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alicia-rouge-a3bb4714b/
Edited by Sylvana and Serena
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