this book reflects a particular attempt. It is not, strictly speaking, a review of research on the very theme of production systems. One of the major recent debates on the economic and social future of agriculture has been the forms taken by its modernisation (for or against productivism, dominant models and alternative models, etc.). At the end of the 70s, the productivity of intermediate consumption fell; while the criterion is partial, it strikes minds. Economists disagree on the interpretation to be given. The twin economic but also ideological crises (crisis of confidence in the virtues of technical progress) — peak around 1981-82, in the controversy over the direction of agricultural policy itself. This controversy is fuelled by a variety of well-founded arguments. It is clear, however, that there is no indisputable and authoritative summary. However, many of the works of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs deal with issues relating to these debates. What exactly does this work bring, what can be seen from this? It was such questions that determined a group of researchers in economics of INRA to undertake a review of their Department’s research. This company could not encounter obstacles: methodological problems, the scope and nature of the work being very diverse; difficulties of self-criticism (the authors themselves could not have an external view) and... of criticism; size of the task itself (to cover the whole field would have made the task impossible; however, selection has an arbitrary aspect). How was this done? Part of the Department’s production was taken into account in particular and was the subject of reading notes; these notes constitute the second volume. The work adopted deals with the transformations of agriculture, in line with the terms of the debate referred to above. On this basis, the initiators of the project drew up a summary of volume 1. In this summary, everyone tried their point of view and on a given theme, to make a balance sheet not of speech but of the work of the researchers, their results. As follows: agricultural crisis and crises in production systems; production systems and social division of labour; agricultural policy and production systems; the debate on productivism and intensification; the debate on diversity; social transformations in agriculture, social contradictions of intensification; a chapter also deals with sources and methods, but the introduction provides an overview of how the approach to agricultural transformations has changed from one period to another, before the crisis and now. Finally, the authors identify a range of topics in these areas, little or not so far.