Transitions to Autonomous and Input-Efficient Cattle Farming Systems: Barriers, Motivations, and Learning

The PraiFacE project conducted interviews on 42 conventional farms and 50 farms that adopted self-sufficient, low-input grazing systems, as well as with future livestock keepers, technical advisers, and water policy stakeholders. Analysis highlighted technical constraints (such as grassland management), feed security concerns, and motivational factors (improved animal health and work quality). It also identified enablers like peer practice-sharing groups and environmental contracts. Transitions emerged from combined triggers—new information, awareness of mismatches between beliefs and practices, practical or economic pressures, and external requirements. Farmers remain the primary agents, using tools like rotational grazing to reshape daily practices, professional norms, and values.