Principles, barriers and enablers to agroecological animal production systems: a qualitative approach based on five case studies
Agroecology is among the most promising options to alleviate the negative impacts of animal farming on the environment and build local food systems based on ethically acceptable production methods. So far, most of the research on agroecological animal production systems was conducted at farm scale,...
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Elsevier
2025-02-01
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1751731124003045 |
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| author | B. Dumont C. Barlagne P. Cassart J.E. Duval A. Fanchone J-L. Gourdine O. Huguenin-Elie Y. Kazakova J. Klötzli A. Lüscher E. Oteros-Rozas D. Pomies M.G. Rivera Ferre W.A.H. Rossing V. Stefanova A. Swartebroeckx C. Zagaria |
| author_facet | B. Dumont C. Barlagne P. Cassart J.E. Duval A. Fanchone J-L. Gourdine O. Huguenin-Elie Y. Kazakova J. Klötzli A. Lüscher E. Oteros-Rozas D. Pomies M.G. Rivera Ferre W.A.H. Rossing V. Stefanova A. Swartebroeckx C. Zagaria |
| author_sort | B. Dumont |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Agroecology is among the most promising options to alleviate the negative impacts of animal farming on the environment and build local food systems based on ethically acceptable production methods. So far, most of the research on agroecological animal production systems was conducted at farm scale, and the potential of agroecological principles addressing social dimensions and food system−level approaches has been underexplored. Here, we analyse how the whole set of agroecological principles was mobilised in five case studies on grassland-based, silvopastoral or integrated crop-livestock systems in Switzerland, Guadeloupe, French uplands, Bulgaria and Andalucía. Following a multilevel perspective, we propose a new eight-category framework to categorise barriers and enablers in these different socioecological contexts, and discuss the implications of these results for scaling out and scaling up agroecological niche innovations in animal production areas. Though we could observe activities related to each agroecological principle in each case study, the relative importance of each principle differed. For instance, in Switzerland, the focus was on ecological processes operating in multispecies mixtures, and therefore on mobilising principles of input reduction, synergy, soil health and biodiversity, while in Andalucía, a civil society organisation, a regional agricultural office, researchers, and farmers mainly mobilised transformational principles at the food system level, e.g. social values, connectivity and participation. Such contrasts highlight how agroecology allows different equilibria among principles, adapting to the needs of farmers and local communities. Inadequate infrastructure and lack of technology were frequently reported as barriers to agroecological transitions. Policy needs to go beyond the mere support of agroecological practices on livestock farms and adopt a systems approach looking downstream and upstream if it is to enable a large-scale agroecological transition with EU public policies. Market as an enabler was linked to direct sales and short distribution circuits, generating added value to the benefit of local communities. Most agroecological systems benefited from a positive image among citizens and consumers, but cultural barriers resulted from change in product characteristics, e.g. veal meat colour in dairy system that promote long-lasting cow-calf contact. All case studies were very advanced in the social dimensions of agroecology, and cooperation networks were always reported among the enablers for scaling out. The multiactor network approach fostered knowledge exchange between farmers, researchers and citizens, and allowed participants to share values. Long-term commitment from local practitioners is required so that co-designed solutions are implemented, which can strengthen the economic and social viability of animal production areas. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-3554a138ca854ed09a7d7db2082469c0 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1751-7311 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-02-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
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| series | Animal |
| spelling | doaj-art-3554a138ca854ed09a7d7db2082469c02025-02-06T05:11:26ZengElsevierAnimal1751-73112025-02-0119101367Principles, barriers and enablers to agroecological animal production systems: a qualitative approach based on five case studiesB. Dumont0C. Barlagne1P. Cassart2J.E. Duval3A. Fanchone4J-L. Gourdine5O. Huguenin-Elie6Y. Kazakova7J. Klötzli8A. Lüscher9E. Oteros-Rozas10D. Pomies11M.G. Rivera Ferre12W.A.H. Rossing13V. Stefanova14A. Swartebroeckx15C. Zagaria16INRAE, Université Clermont Auvergne, VetAgro Sup, UMR Herbivores, Saint-Genès-Champanelle, France; Corresponding author.INRAE, UR ASTRO Agrosystèmes Tropicaux, Petit-Bourg (Guadeloupe), FranceSustainability, Systems and Prospectives Department, CRA-W Walloon Agricultural Research Centre, Gembloux, BelgiumINRAE, Université Clermont Auvergne, AgroParisTech, VetAgro Sup, UMR Territoires, Clermont-Ferrand, FranceINRAE, UR ASSET, Petit-Bourg (Guadeloupe), FranceINRAE, UR ASSET, Petit-Bourg (Guadeloupe), FranceForage Production and Grassland Systems, Agroscope, Zurich, SwitzerlandSociety for Territorial and Environmental Prosperity, Sofia, Bulgaria; Department Economics of Natural Resources, University of National and World Economy, Sofia, BulgariaForage Production and Grassland Systems, Agroscope, Zurich, SwitzerlandForage Production and Grassland Systems, Agroscope, Zurich, SwitzerlandDepartment of Agronomy, ETSIA, University of Seville, Spain; FRACTAL Collective, SpainINRAE, Université Clermont Auvergne, VetAgro Sup, UMR Herbivores, Saint-Genès-Champanelle, FranceINGENIO, CSIC-Universitat Politècnica de València, SpainFarming Systems Ecology, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, the NetherlandsSociety for Territorial and Environmental Prosperity, Sofia, BulgariaSustainability, Systems and Prospectives Department, CRA-W Walloon Agricultural Research Centre, Gembloux, BelgiumFarming Systems Ecology, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, the NetherlandsAgroecology is among the most promising options to alleviate the negative impacts of animal farming on the environment and build local food systems based on ethically acceptable production methods. So far, most of the research on agroecological animal production systems was conducted at farm scale, and the potential of agroecological principles addressing social dimensions and food system−level approaches has been underexplored. Here, we analyse how the whole set of agroecological principles was mobilised in five case studies on grassland-based, silvopastoral or integrated crop-livestock systems in Switzerland, Guadeloupe, French uplands, Bulgaria and Andalucía. Following a multilevel perspective, we propose a new eight-category framework to categorise barriers and enablers in these different socioecological contexts, and discuss the implications of these results for scaling out and scaling up agroecological niche innovations in animal production areas. Though we could observe activities related to each agroecological principle in each case study, the relative importance of each principle differed. For instance, in Switzerland, the focus was on ecological processes operating in multispecies mixtures, and therefore on mobilising principles of input reduction, synergy, soil health and biodiversity, while in Andalucía, a civil society organisation, a regional agricultural office, researchers, and farmers mainly mobilised transformational principles at the food system level, e.g. social values, connectivity and participation. Such contrasts highlight how agroecology allows different equilibria among principles, adapting to the needs of farmers and local communities. Inadequate infrastructure and lack of technology were frequently reported as barriers to agroecological transitions. Policy needs to go beyond the mere support of agroecological practices on livestock farms and adopt a systems approach looking downstream and upstream if it is to enable a large-scale agroecological transition with EU public policies. Market as an enabler was linked to direct sales and short distribution circuits, generating added value to the benefit of local communities. Most agroecological systems benefited from a positive image among citizens and consumers, but cultural barriers resulted from change in product characteristics, e.g. veal meat colour in dairy system that promote long-lasting cow-calf contact. All case studies were very advanced in the social dimensions of agroecology, and cooperation networks were always reported among the enablers for scaling out. The multiactor network approach fostered knowledge exchange between farmers, researchers and citizens, and allowed participants to share values. Long-term commitment from local practitioners is required so that co-designed solutions are implemented, which can strengthen the economic and social viability of animal production areas.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1751731124003045AgroecologyLivestockLock-insMultiactor networksTransition |
| spellingShingle | B. Dumont C. Barlagne P. Cassart J.E. Duval A. Fanchone J-L. Gourdine O. Huguenin-Elie Y. Kazakova J. Klötzli A. Lüscher E. Oteros-Rozas D. Pomies M.G. Rivera Ferre W.A.H. Rossing V. Stefanova A. Swartebroeckx C. Zagaria Principles, barriers and enablers to agroecological animal production systems: a qualitative approach based on five case studies Animal Agroecology Livestock Lock-ins Multiactor networks Transition |
| title | Principles, barriers and enablers to agroecological animal production systems: a qualitative approach based on five case studies |
| title_full | Principles, barriers and enablers to agroecological animal production systems: a qualitative approach based on five case studies |
| title_fullStr | Principles, barriers and enablers to agroecological animal production systems: a qualitative approach based on five case studies |
| title_full_unstemmed | Principles, barriers and enablers to agroecological animal production systems: a qualitative approach based on five case studies |
| title_short | Principles, barriers and enablers to agroecological animal production systems: a qualitative approach based on five case studies |
| title_sort | principles barriers and enablers to agroecological animal production systems a qualitative approach based on five case studies |
| topic | Agroecology Livestock Lock-ins Multiactor networks Transition |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1751731124003045 |
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