The concept of integration at the heart of designing a mixed crop-livestock pilot adapted to Guadeloupe farms

In the specific context of Guadeloupe’s agriculture, where over 80% of farms employ polyculture-livestock systems, this study presents the design of a semi-controlled pilot system aimed at improving integration between crops and livestock. Under a Research-Training-Extension project initiated in 2008, the authors conducted a diagnostic analysis of existing operations to determine system size, generate crop rotations, and estimate material flows. They discuss key determinants, step-by-step design principles, and structural and functional characteristics of the pilot. The paper also emphasizes the pilot’s capacity to serve as a platform for testing agroecological innovations at farm scale and generating technical, economic, and environmental reference data.