About project

Whilst many regions of France have become highly specialised, Auvergne has partly resisted this trend and is characterised by a still significant diversity of its herbivore farming systems. This diversity is, however, tending to erode, even as the preservation and promotion of diversity are being prioritised as part of the agroecological transition. The functions, benefits and dynamics of this diversity remain poorly understood, and awareness amongst downstream sectors and certain local stakeholders is only just beginning to emerge. The PSDR (Partnership Research Programme for and on Regional Development) new-DEAL project aims to develop strategies to harness this diversity so that it can make an effective contribution to the sustainability of livestock farming and to regional development. Diversity in livestock farming encompasses species, production methods, land area and marketed products. It can be observed both within individual farms and between farms within a region. The aim is to identify the conditions under which this diversity can act as a catalyst to generate economic, environmental and social benefits for farms, regions and supply chains. The project involves a spatial characterisation of regional livestock farming diversity based on the Inosys farm typology, as well as surveys and analyses focusing on two case study areas: the Bocage Bourbonnais and the Pays de Saint-Flour. The results will be used to identify opportunities for sector and regional stakeholders to capitalise on the diversity of livestock farming. Another operational objective will be to develop a toolkit for development officers and educational resources that enable the contribution of diversity to the sustainability of livestock farming systems to be assessed and, where possible, quantified. To this end, a partnership has been established between the Herbivores (INRA, VetAgro Sup) and Métafort (Irstea, VetAgro Sup, INRA, AgroParisTech), and three stakeholders on the ground who are rarely brought together in a single project: the region’s chambers of agriculture, agricultural colleges (EPL Saint-Flour and Moulins-Neuvy) and local authorities (Com.Com. St Flour-Margeride and Bocage Bourbonnais, Pays St Flour Haute-Auvergne). This partnership offers potential for synergies that can contribute to regional development.