# Pastoral farming in the Mediterranean and multi-functionality: A case study in French Southern Alps

Jacques Lasseur

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Jacques Lasseur. Pastoral farming in the Mediterranean and multi-functionality: A case study in French Southern Alps. 10. International Rangeland Congress (GASL), Jul 2016, Saskatoon, Canada. pp.1-7. hal-02744089

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# Pastoral farming in the Mediterranean and multi-functionality:

## A case study in French southern alps.

J. Lasseur

UMR SELMET, INRA, CIRAD, Montpellier SupAgro, Université de Montpellier

The place that livestock farming holds in society is subject to question. This seems like a particularly opportune moment to re-examine its place and future direction in the Mediterranean region, building in a multifunctional approach to the activity at regional level. Several features of Mediterranean livestock farming underscore the challenges of multifunctionality. It is an activity with strong links to the identity of those working in livestock farming and of the landscapes and regions (Blondel, 2006). Its substantial pastoral component involves a variety of regional landscapes (cultivated areas, rangeland, forests, mountain meadows, etc.), often going beyond the strict scope of land appropriated for farming to include public spaces or areas used for multiple purposes (Garde et al, 2014).

Recent reforms to the Common Agricultural Policy have seen these often implicit multifunctional dimensions make their way back onto the European political agenda, particularly in France (Bazin G., 2003). This paper analyses the conditions for and forms of development of pastoral livestock farming in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of France over the last 30 years in relation to public support policies and in light of the expectations of local stakeholders in upland areas of the Southern Alps.

### 1. Changes in livestock farming in the Southern Alps in response to late 20th century public policy

Recent developments in agricultural policy and local conditions in the second half of the century warrant a plan for the future of livestock farming in the French Mediterranean, linking it closely with territory-wide issues of multifunctionality.

#### Aspects of domestic policy:

France's post-war agricultural outline laws set out a framework for farming modernisation, representing a break with the largely subsistence-based nature of large facets of agriculture in the Mediterranean and upland regions. In the first instance, this translated into extensive cereal growing on the great lowland areas of France. The emergence of this geographical specialisation had some significant impacts, as follows: i) the marginalisation of cereal growing in upland regions; ii) not having been fully "modernised", livestock farming emerged as a "safe haven" activity in these regions; iii) the massive decline in sheep farming associated with lowland cereal growing unlocked a market for the production of sheepmeat in regions where this activity persisted.

The technical and regulatory framework for crop production was further developed from 1964 onwards with the addition of laws on the development of livestock farming. This led to substantial productivity improvements where investment and the opportunities offered by the environment allowed. In the past, the difference between upland and lowland farming was seen primarily in field crops, leading to intense specialisation in lowland areas, with an avoidance of livestock production. Ultimately, the modernisation of farming and the laws that govern it have significantly marginalised livestock rearing in upland areas, where there is a
growing productivity differential with lowland regions, particularly for dry mountains, Bazin (1985) makes a distinction in this respect between wet uplands which are able to compete with lowland areas through beef and dairy cattle farming (capitalising on traditional products thanks to a long-established tradition of cheese-making) and dry regions focused on sheep farming. The result of these changes and opportunities is a clear difference between livestock farming in the Southern Alps (mainly sheep farming, largely pastoral in nature and geared towards meat production) and in the Northern Alps, where it mainly involves grass-fed cattle and is geared towards high-quality cheese production.

## Local conditions for the development of livestock farming

Between 1980 and 2000, the local context influenced approaches to the development of livestock farming in the Southern Alps.

Specialisation in sheep farming intensified with the shift away from cattle farming in response to the collapse in the beef and dairy cattle sectors. Opening up the Europe-wide market for sheep meat exposed French producers to competition from the United Kingdom, causing prices to tumble. As a consequence, as part of the common organisation of the market, the support systems for activity that defies any form of crisis response were stepped up with the introduction of more productive models. The introduction of the Compensatory Premium for Sheep was calculated on the difference between the market price and the guide price and was allocated in such a way that payments to farmers were largely dependent on flock size.

The mountain laws, national consultations on agricultural development and regionalisation laws have enshrined a number of considerations on upland farming: i) it is specific and needs to find its own paths for development; ii) it needs specific support to compensate for the difficult conditions in which it takes place; iii) its importance to the local economy and its contribution to maintaining the landscape mean that it must be protected.

More generally, this period saw the deepening of the demographic separation between coastal and upland regions, with mountains being assigned the role of recreational areas at regional level as well as more widely with the development of mass winter mountain tourism, creating local opportunities for new activities as alternatives or in addition to farming. Support for this mission as a “recreational green lung” that requires protection came from the consolidation of the role of the national parks (Écrins and Mercantour, designated in the last decade) and the regional nature parks.

Regional population dynamics have driven the transformation of the coastline into a major conurbation sitting cheek by jowl with extensive open spaces covered by large tracts of forest that developed following the large-scale abandonment of farming and the marginalisation of pastoral livestock production. This makes the whole area highly susceptible to the outbreak of the fires that were a regular feature of the summer in the early 1980s. A system of fire prevention was then developed that included both resources for firefighting and spatial planning to make the region less susceptible to fire. The creation of firebreaks once again raises the compelling issue of flocks in forest environments, which historically were off-limits for sheep, to help control vegetation.

## Development of a livestock farming model based on the challenges of multifunctional use

These conflicting demands have given rise to a period of confusion about the forms of livestock farming to be encouraged for the Southern Alps. There is a strong desire to leverage
local pastoral resources in formulating an alternative to traditional forms of development based on intensification (not something that was applicable locally) and this is supported by the presence of farmers new to rural life and the area who are responsive to these kinds of development options. The main issue then lies in the ability to increase access to grazing resources that are largely associated with public forests in lowland areas and with alpine meadows and high-altitude forests in the mountains. For stakeholders in livestock farming, this means justifying their place in the multi-use framework while the positions of other users of these spaces are being strengthened. Leisure and outdoor activity is a growth sector in mountain areas. In lowland areas, competition is fierce on grazing land that is either covered by the forestry code or is being eroded by urban sprawl. Improving access to such land is one of the issues in the recognition of livestock farming as a multifunctional activity.

At the same time, stakeholders in the Mediterranean forest are closely involved in the development of firefighting measures. The closing off and standardisation of environments traditionally involved in pastoral activity as a consequence of rural decline has been identified as a risk factor. Despite a few ups and downs linked to the dubious history between foresters and shepherds in the Mediterranean region, goat, cattle and sheep farming all have a seat at the table for discussions about the introduction of the forest fire prevention policy.

This then leads to deliberation on the relationship between livestock farming and the region, involving stakeholders from outside the agricultural community. The aim is to tie the dynamics of grazeable semi-natural areas to the integration of livestock farming into the issue of how to manage natural spaces and the contribution of farming to the resolution of environmental questions. As a result, pastoral services are organising the large-scale movement of flocks to areas with societal expectations in respect of grazing. In particular, this will involve arranging for winter grazing of the coastal forest areas by animals coming down from upland farms.

## Increasing public support under the CAP

The ramp-up of the modernisation in farming has resulted in increasingly substantial differences in productivity between lowland and upland livestock farms, jeopardising the future of agricultural activity, primarily livestock farming, in mountain areas. As a specific support measure, the compensatory allowance scheme for areas with difficult natural conditions will be increased during the period. This measure was introduced under the agricultural policy to compensate for an inability to effectively implement the production models being promoted. These support measures are in fact linked to a multifunctional view of livestock farming, with the aim of maintaining an activity that is assumed to be beneficial to the overall mountain economy and the conservation of outstanding landscapes that protect specific biodiversity. As these support measures are increased, they will need to be consolidated and legitimised on the basis of social and environmental arguments. This convergence between the growing importance of the support provided by the CAP, with payments calculated on the basis of flock size, and opportunities to access new forage resources in communal spaces that acknowledge the services provided by grazing, is driving the profession to widen the scope of its analysis of the forms of livestock farming to be developed and identify the three components of income from livestock farming: product sales, allowances intended to make up for low incomes and benefits for environmental services.
## 2. Changes to farms and public support for livestock farming

The constant expansion of French farm structures since the 1960s has clearly come at the expense of the number of farms and farmers but also, more generally, the number of farm assets. In pastoral areas of the Mediterranean uplands, this trend means that there are now just a handful of farms in each community, contributing to the decline in farming-related economic activity. Table 1 shows the change in sheep flock structures in the départements of the Southern Alps between 1993 and 2010. Large flocks, the order of the day for pastoral livestock farming, have increased quite substantially and the increase in the proportion of large flocks (more than 500 ewes) and very large flocks (more than 1,000 ewes) is plain to see. In 1993, 21% of the sheep population in the départements of the Southern Alps belonged to flocks of more than 500 ewes, compared with 37% in 2010 (Table 1). Between 2000 and 2010, these large livestock farms were more effective in maintaining their operations than more modestly sized farms. While herds of more than 1,000 animals were exceptional at the start of the period, in 2010 they accounted for 16% of the sheep population. Ewes in flocks of more than 500 ewes accounted for 47% of the total population in 2010, compared with 21% 17 years previously.

<table><caption>Table 1. Changes in sheep farms flock size in southern alps between 1993 and 2010</caption><thead><tr><th></th><th>1993</th><th>2000</th><th>2010</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>Flock size between 500 and 1000 ewes number, contribution (%)</td><td>110, 5.8%</td><td>149, 8.8%</td><td>126, 9.1%</td></tr><tr><td>ewes within flocks sizing 500 to 1000 ewes number, contribution (%)</td><td>72870, 18.9%</td><td>108722, 24%</td><td>90480, 21%</td></tr><tr><td>Flock size > 1000 ewes Number, contribution (%)</td><td>6, 0.03%</td><td>25, 1.5%</td><td>43, 3.1</td></tr><tr><td>ewes within flocks >1000 ewes number, contribution (%)</td><td>8351, 2.1%</td><td>36091, 7.9%</td><td>66426, 16%</td></tr></tbody></table>

The allocation of public aid to livestock farms, as determined from surveys of all 60 farmers in a very pastoral area of the mountains shown in figure 1, shows that it is largely routed to farms with the largest flocks (Grawitz, 2011). Family holdings with the smallest flocks, which often correspond to young farmers who are just setting up (who can be considered most vulnerable), received up to 6 times less in terms of public aid than holdings with large flocks. By and large, the bulk of this aid was distributed for multifunctionality in agriculture (compensation for difficult natural conditions, agricultural environmental measures, etc.).
<figure><img src="image_2.png" /><figcaption>Fig. 1: Distribution of public supports to sheep farms according to the flock size, on a sample of 60 farms in 2011. (from Grawitz T., 2011).</figcaption></figure>

It is not hard to make a connection between flock expansion, the pastoral nature of the activity and public aid bound up with the recognition of agriculture as multifunctional, essentially on environmental grounds. Social aspects, particularly in relation to employment and social cohesion, appear to be the “poor relations” in these policies.

### 3. A variety of expectations of livestock farming currently being asserted

A series of interviews were conducted with local stakeholders and territorial decision-makers in the Alpes de Haute Provence; these were supplemented with interviews with regional operators in agriculture and the agricultural sector, elected officials and government and regional representatives (Lasseur et al., 2017). Respondents expressed three key areas of concern regarding the way that livestock farming is appraised. A concise breakdown of these three areas of concern and the debate they generate is set out below.

#### Contribution to the operation of the supply chain

For operators in the long supply chain, the aim is to create a supply chain covered by a quality label. This sets them against farmers who are well integrated into the supply chain and against pastoral livestock farmers. The pursuit of added value on lamb (through labelling) is seen as a promising route for livestock farming, ensuring increased income for farmers. Signing up to the contractual requirements of a label is seen as the route to technical advancement and this shapes guidance to farmers on matters such as the animals' carcass qualities, the choice of breeds and control over the production schedule.

For regional stakeholders, maintaining a complex of farms with deep roots in the local area in terms of social networks and the economy is paramount. They see developing short marketing chains by providing support for reorganising the sector as a way of contributing to this objective.

There are two areas of disagreement between operators in long supply chains and other stakeholders: by offering “poor quality” lambs, pastoral production would hinder the development of the organised industry and the technical advancement that is driven by
registration for labelling. Developing short supply chains at the instigation of local stakeholders would weaken the organised sector and would only provide farmers with a short-term alternative to efforts to improve the quality of products from livestock farming.

## Contribution to local activity and social inclusion

In the view of managers in agriculture (excluding supply chain operators), livestock farming has developed and modernised through specialisation. The emergence of large instead of small flocks on diversified farms has helped to maintain sheep numbers across the region, making it an activity that is still economically strong. This trend gives sheep farming a significant role in the issues of spatial management that regional players stress are taking precedence over the issues of food production. This contributes to increased farm specialisation and to expansion.

For regional stakeholders, the challenge is to maintain the network of farms in sparsely populated communities where agriculture is crucial for the economy. Alternatives to expansion based on breaking up farms at the end of the farmer's working life are therefore being actively explored. The hope is that these alternatives will enhance the value of products from local livestock farming by developing short supply chains and diversify farms, providing complementary revenue streams to ensure that modest-sized farms are economically viable. Regional stakeholders are further concerned that the future development of livestock farming should be factored into local development by making more of its cultural aspect, strengthening the identity of a region that is bound up with pastoral production. This bodes well for creating stronger synergies with tourism. An additional concern is promotion through recognised local cuisine and a network of farm visits for tourists, which would help to encourage interaction for a profession that tends to be isolated: the two do not always coincide.

With regard to the matter of contribution to economic activities and local inclusion, there is a consensus on the importance of consolidating livestock production activities, but some differences of opinion on how to achieve this.

## Contribution to landscape management and the environmental quality of the area

The issues of land use and the contribution of livestock farming to the management of ecological dynamics involve the preservation of the agricultural potential of this area and concerns around pastoral production and biodiversity.

The spontaneous development of forest areas is highlighted as a threat to the area by agricultural operators and regional stakeholders (this stance is qualified by forestry workers, however). Livestock farming is specifically identified with regard to its contribution to managing the uneasy balance between forests, cultivated areas and rangeland that is peculiar to the declining Mediterranean regions. The ability to keep formerly cultivated land open through grazing is subject to question. The growth in flock sizes and the resurgence of pastoral production are perceived as positive. There are questions relating to issues of land use from forestry workers, who take the view that not all land is necessarily pastoral in nature and that land needs to be set aside for forestry. At the same time, local authority initiatives to promote activity by means of brand new infrastructure tend to identify these areas as public property that is easier to leverage than private land.
The positive connections between livestock farming and biodiversity issues are being developed by environmentalists who complain that these new systems of agricultural production have not shown that they can coexist with wolves, and by national park officials who lament the abandonment of agricultural practices, particularly the mowing of certain natural meadows which become spread when incorporated into grazing land and lead to a loss of biodiversity. These are all reasons to relax an over-exclusive focus on pastoral production.

Developments in livestock farming in the PACA region in recent decades have underscored multifunctional aspects by building on public support mechanisms. The resulting pastoral model is strongly interconnected with the issues of managing the open environments that symbolise the regional landscapes whose identity dimensions it reinforces. Support policies have made a substantial contribution to these changes and to the emergence of large-scale livestock structures at the expense of maintaining on the operations of multi-activity farms contributing to regional economic vitality. If the challenges of making livestock farming work with the ecological dynamics of natural grazing land are concerns for local societies, they do not exclude wider social issues. The expectations of local stakeholders appear to be contrasting and constantly changing. Looking ahead, if it appears important to support the transformation of livestock farming from a multifunctional perspective, it is without doubt essential for enhancing the long-term ability of the regional-level activity (Godard et Hubert, 2002) to find compromises between the different concerns raised and maintain the resilience that will enable the activity to develop hand in hand with local social expectations.

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This paper has been published in:
Blanfort, V.; Lasseur, J.(eds), 2018. Multifunctionality of pastoralism: linking global and local strategies through shared visions and methods in GASL Action network « Restoring value to grassland ». GASL, Montpellier, 127.p.