European Commission Workshop on « Systems Approaches for sustainable agriculture – Part I » Brussels, 5-6 December 2016 Systems approaches for sustainable agriculture : the Agrarian System concept Sophie DEVIENNE UFR Comparave Agriculture and Agricultural Development UMR PRODIG, AgroParisTech, CNRS, EPH, IRD, Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne University, Paris-Diderot University , Paris-Sorbonne University , Paris [email protected] Sophie Devienne 6/12/2016 1 Challenges of sustainable development in agriculture What producve processes to promote and how to manage to support farmings types in order to : • Ensure abundant and quality food producon • Preserve exploited ecosystems and their inhabitants • Preserve and even create jobs and income • Contribute to reducing the inequali@es = economic viability, ecological sustainability and social equity Sophie Devienne 6/12/2016 2 Challenges of sustainable development in agriculture In order to propose effecve and adapted projects or policies to support sustainable agricultural development, it is necessary : • to understand agricultural reali@es • To idenfy the condi@ons (not only at the farmers level) so that the farmers – Have the means to implement sustainable producon systems – Find it worth their while. Sophie Devienne 6/12/2016 3 An agricultural reality • A complex ecological and economic object • Ecological, technical, economical and social elements in interac@on • These elements to be apprehended at different scales : parcel, unit of produc@on, territory, region, naon… • Geographical diversity of forms of agriculture • In a given agricultural area : different categories of farms, of produc@on systems • A reality in movement : necessary to understand the reasons for the evolu@ons and their consequences Sophie Devienne 6/12/2016 4 The concept of agrarian system (M. Mazoyer) A combinaon of different variables : • The mode of exploitaon of a given environment : – one or several ecosystems – the matching technical qualificaons (equipment, knowledge, prac@ves, know-how) – the historically acquired transformaons – the resul@ng environment ar@ficialisaon method : landscape • The condions of access to resources and distribu@on of value added • The different agricultural produc@on systems, implemented by the different categories of farmers : farm typologies • The relaons with upstream and downstream industries, and between producers and consumers. • The economic, social and poli@cal condions, in par@cular the relave prices system. Sophie Devienne 6/12/2016 5 The concept of agrarian system An intellectual tool that enables : • to apprehend the complexity of an agricultural reality : organizaon and funconing – Relaons of causality or interdependency between the various elements – stages of evolu@on of the agrarian system • To apprehend the problem of sustainability : condi@ons of balance and reproduc@bility of : – The cul@vated ecosystem : reproducon of fer@lity – The social produc@on system. Sophie Devienne 6/12/2016 6 What scale of analysis? • A concept that can be used at different scales of analysis : from agricultural district to country level • Micro-regional approach, at the agricultural district level : – Based on field work – In-depth understanding of mechanisms and processes : relaons prac@ces/ecosystem; differenciaon of systems of producon – Agro-ecology : systems adapted to pedoclimac and socio- economic condions – Studies of different cases judiciously choosed : possibility to adress the issues at the regional or naonal level Sophie Devienne 6/12/2016 7 Analysis of the organisaon and funconing of an agrarian system : combinaon of scales of analysis, At the regional level : agrarian system Cul@vated ecosystem : landscape analysis Sophie Devienne 6/12/2016 8 Analysis of the organisaon and funconing of an agrarian system : combinaon of scales of analysis, At the farm level : produc1on system = a group of farms : - Same range of resources : surface and localisaon, level of equipment, size of workteam - Comparable socioeconomic condions - Similar combinaon of producons Sophie Devienne 6/12/2016 9 Analysis of the organisaon and funconing of an agrarian system : combinaon of scales of analysis, Each produc@on system : a characteris@c combinaon of : - At the plot level : cropping system - At the herd level : livestock system Sophie Devienne 6/12/2016 10 Diagnosis of agrarian system : the steps • Reading the landscape : – principal components and their combinaon – elements of persistance and elements of change – Different parts of the cul@vated ecosystems • Understanding the landscape evolu@on : – the ways and the reasons why the farmers used to exploit the different parts of ecosystem – why it has changed : cause-and-effect relaonships between the variables (technical changes,market opportuni@es, prices, public policies…) • Understanding the differenciaon of agricultural produc@on systems : idenfying and explaining the diversity of producon systems = typology of producon systems – Different kind of resources – General movement / « alternave » systems Sophie Devienne 6/12/2016 11 Diagnosis of agrarian system : the steps • Iden@fy the produc@on systems before characterizing and modelling their funconing; idenfy and priorize the difficules they have to face. • Economy of agricultural produc@on applied at the produc@on system level : measuring the performances of producon systems – Gross product and physical labour produc@vity – Value added and economical labour produc@vity – Agricultural income • Compare the economic performances of the different producon systems : assump@ons on their future evolu@on. • Iden@fy the challenges for the agricultural development. • Under which condi@ons the different types of farmers may change their prac@ces in a more sustainable way? Sophie Devienne 6/12/2016 12 The Bocage vendéen : an agricultural district in the western part of France specialized in cale producon Source : Garambois, 2011 Sophie Devienne 6/12/2016 13 Since the 1950’s, a significant increase of physical labour produc@vity in dairy producon Hand milking Milk buckets Milking Parlour 2x4 Milking Parlour 2x5 Feed Temporary grassland, silage Maize units/ha Sophie Devienne 6/12/2016 14 Source : Garambois, 2011; Garambois & Devienne, 2012; Garambois & Devienne, 2013 A connuous trend… 1989 2009 Evoluon prédominante Predominant dans la région evolu@on in the area Source : Garambois, 2011; Garambois & Devienne, 2012; Garambois & Devienne, 2013 Sophie Devienne 6/12/2016 15 Driven by the rapid downward trend in agricultural prices 140 Prices evoluLon in constant currency Machinery and 1970 = index 100 equipment 120 100 Intermediate consumpLons 80 Animal products 60 Vegetal products 40 20 0 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 Sophie Devienne 6/12/2016 16 Source : INSEE NaLonal accounts Outside this mainstream development, the emergence of agroecological systems, autonomous and inputs saving : the 1989 grasslands producon systems 2009 Evoluon prédominante Predominant dans la région evolu@on in the area Evoluon towards Evoluon vers un grasslands système herbager system Temporary grasslands (grass –white clover Sophie Devienne 6/12/2016 associaon) 17 Source : Garambois, 2011; Garambois & Devienne, 2012; Garambois & Devienne, 2013 Grasslands systems follow the principles of agroecology • Associaon grass – clover, different species adaptated to pedoclimac condions: – No chimical fer@lizers – Balanced feed for cows • Increase the importance of grazing – Less costs of inputs, machinery and building costs • Moderate the produc@on per cow • Adaptaon of the lactaon period to the grass growth period… Autonomous and inputs saving systems Sophie Devienne 6/12/2016 18 A dras@c decrease in input consumpon, par@cularly in ammonium nitrate Sophie Devienne 6/12/2016 19 Source : Garambois, 2011; Garambois & Devienne, 2012; Garambois & Devienne, 2013 Grasslands systems follow the principles of agroecology • Associaon grass – clover, different species adaptated to pedoclimac condions: – No chimical fer@lizers – Balanced feed for cows • Increase the importance of grazing – Less costs of inputs, machinery and building costs • Moderate the produc@on per cow • Adaptaon of the lactaon period to the grass growth period… Autonomous and inputs saving systems Maximisaon of value added instead of gross product Developed by a small group of farmers, previously involved in the mainstream movement of development : concep@on and development of an adapted technical framework. Sophie Devienne 6/12/2016 20 High economic efficiency of grasslands dairy producon systems : CI = Gross Intermediate product consumptions Income Sophie Devienne 6/12/2016 21 Source : Garambois, 2011; Garambois & Devienne, 2012; Garambois & Devienne, 2013 An higher labour produc@vity for grasslands systems Sophie Devienne 6/12/2016 22 Source : Garambois, 2011; Garambois & Devienne, 2012; Garambois & Devienne, 2013 A similar income for grasslands systems with smaller surface per agricultural worker Sophie Devienne 6/12/2016 23 Source : Garambois, 2011; Garambois & Devienne, 2012; Garambois & Devienne, 2013 Agrarian system diagnosis • Combinaon of ecological, technical, economical and social components • Explanaon of dynamics of agrarian system, landscape, producon systems and their consequences • Economy of agricultural produc@on applied at the produc@on system level • Iden@fy the condi@ons of transi@on for the different types of farms towards sustainable systems preserving environment, added value and employment Sophie Devienne 6/12/2016 24 .