Local challenges for the future of extensive livestock farming systems in contrasted regional environments
To consider the future of extensive livestock fanning systems (LFS) at a local scale, we use here the results of a set of case studies (CS) in Africa, South America and Europe made in the ADD-TRANS project (200509). The CSs were carried out in selected gerographical areas in Urugayan pampa, Bresilian Amazonia, sub-sahelian steppes in Senegal, and mountains and hills in Southern France. They primilary aimed at supporting sustainabilty of local LFSs and land use (LU). A same method was applied in all of them: the participatory building of an agent-based model with farmers and other local actors for a spatially-explicit simulation of scenarios of change in local LFS and LU. The results stress out contrasts but also similarities in trends and pressures for change among the the CS areas. in particular, globalisation and liberalisation of agricultural markets challenge the future of local LFS and the perenniality of semi-natural grasslands is at risk in all of the CS areas with a long past of grassland-based systems. Competition of cash crops appears as a most common threat for local LFS and LU sustainability, its expansion logics and processes differing according to natural and socio-economical environment specificities. A main finding of the study is the strong evidence of the importance to attach to long-term behaviours of individual farmers for improving the understanding of local changes in extensive LFS and assessing opportunities and challenges for their future. In each CS area, participatory groups regarded the modelling of the local variety in farmers' long-term objectives and coping strategies used to adapt to their environment, as a requisite for a sound simulation of scenarios. Some similarities in fariner behaviours amongst the CSAs lead us to put a new perspective on some basic contradictions in the current search for sustainable development of extensive LFS.
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | conference_item biblioteca |
| Language: | eng |
| Published: |
Wageningen Academic Publishers
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| Subjects: | L01 - Élevage - Considérations générales, E14 - Économie et politique du développement, U30 - Méthodes de recherche, |
| Online Access: | http://agritrop.cirad.fr/568499/ |
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