This study was done in the context of a participatory Research - Education - Development project. In our regional context, we aim at developing alternatives to specialised and intensified agricultural standards. To do so, we based our approach on the assumption that the sustainability of farming systems (FS) would result from optimising complementarities and interactions between production systems (PS), also termed integration. Although little studied, Mixed Farming Systems (MFS) are the main FS in Guadeloupe, which represent an important source of innovation and sustainability. In the objective to first identify and characterise MFS, we realised an exploratory study based on 115 interviews. By an expert opinion-based methodology, we identified 10 different clusters of MFS which differ by their PS combinations and their integration level between PS. The specific analysis of each PS showed several characteristics that allow generating hypotheses regarding their role in MFS and their tendency for integration. Furthermore, socio economic variables show that some clusters have common production factors and location, a contrario of others that have specific characteristics. In conclusion, this study showed that MFS are greatly diverse and heterogeneous in Guadeloupe. It is the first step before further studies focussing on how the whole farm functions which is required to better understand MFS in tropical environments like Guadeloupe