P@stor-all: a spatialized information system for decision-making in extensive grazing systems
Résumé
Agro-silvo-pastoralism is common in Mediterranean regions and provides multiple services. The
sustainability of such systems depends on an efficient utilization of rangelands. The latter
requires a good knowledge of the spatial behaviour of the flock, which can be documented with
digital tools. The diversity of agro-silvo-pastoral systems complicates both data acquisition and
processing, and has slowed down the uptake of precision farming. However, a variety of data is
available to document the functioning of the pastoral ecosystem: free satellite data, GPS collars,
meteorological data but also technical references in digital format and feedbacks from farmers.
The objective of the P@stor-all project was to group such heterogeneous data in one single tool
and combine it in order to provide knowledge and indicators for the improvement of grazing
management. Designing such an information system (IS) required to find solutions to integrate
structured and unstructured data and produce meaningful indicators for the farmers. A
participatory approach was chosen: 7 farmers and 2 research farms representing a variety of
systems were partners to the project and were associated in the discussions and decisions
about the functionalities of the IS, the conceptual model of the pastoral ecosystem, the spatiotemporal
resolution of data, the choice of indicators, the user interface and the terms of use of
the IS. GPS collars were deployed in the farms and their data was cross-analysed with free
satellite data in order to produce indicators of the spatial utilization of rangelands by the flocks.
The proposed indicators were different for the commercial farms (1 commercial GPS collar to
localize the flock in real time and record spatial behaviour), and for the research farms (up to 30
GPS collars to test the correlations between spatial behaviour, animal characteristics and
environmental conditions). A first prototype of the P@stor-all IS will be tested and refined in
spring and summer 2023; by the end of the year, the platform will be freely available to all
French farmers.