Grazed orchards in France: different forms of livestock integration and their implications for fruit growers' practices
Résumé
Combining animals and crops in different forms of silvopastures has long been a traditional practice in Europe (Burgess et al. 2017). Today, in a context of moving agriculture towards more sustainable production systems, some fruit growers have chosen to reintroduce animals, in particular sheep into their orchard. They are mainly motivated by the intention to manage weeds in a different way and to improve pest and disease regulation (Mayr et al. 2007), while at the same time saving on phytosanitary treatments and fertilizers. We carried out semi-structured interviews with 20 farmers in several regions of France (Provence and NorthWest). These interviews aimed to analyse: (i) farms structure (different productions and their respective area); (ii) the motivations of the farmers to integrate livestock and fruit trees; (iii) the technical adaptations that sylvopastoralism generated; and finally (iv) the services and disservices provided by animals in orchards.
Domaines
Agronomie
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Dufils, Paut - 2020 - Grazed orchards in France different forms of livestock integration and their implications for fruit growers’ pract.pdf (309.54 Ko)
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