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Intensified livestock production is considered as a promising pathway for smallholder farmers. Nevertheless, this pathway may entail prohibitive investment requirements of labour, capital or trade-offs at farm level that preclude sustainable intensification. We used fuzzy cognitive mapping (FCM) to assess farmers' perceptions of changes in the farm household system resulting from adding livestock to their mixed farms. Farmers identified trade-offs between the increased income and farmyard manure production versus increases in labour requirements for fodder imports. Furthermore, a sensitivity analysis performed on the FCMs showed that an increase in milk market demand could have strong positive effects on livestock production and income. We conclude that FCM is a good tool to rapidly identify trade-offs and analyse perceptions of farmers which revealed that although they consider intensification a promising strategy, the perceived deepening of labour constraints and increasing dependency on fodder import makes a concurrent (sustainable) intensification of these farm systems unlikely.

Climate variability affects agricultural production systems and rural communities, generating risks to food security and increasing rural poverty. Therefore, improving the capacity of rural households to adapt to climate variability has become one of the greatest challenges for international and national institutions. The objective of this study is to analyze the impact of rural households' livelihood strategies with regard to their vulnerability and adaptation to climate variability. We systematically selected 162 rural households from 10 municipalities in the department of Huila (Colombia). Households were grouped according to their livelihood strategies, using 13 variables representative of their productive characteristics. Subsequently, three indices related to climate vulnerability were determined: a. exposure (climate variability between 1990 and 2012), b. sensitivity, and c. adaptive capacity. For the latter two, the community capitals framework was used. Using the three indices above, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's proposed vulnerability index was determined. We found seven livelihood strategies: i. Cattlemen-Cocoa Farmers, ii. Livestock-Cocoa Farmers, iii. Employees-Cocoa Farmers, iv. Cocoa Farmers, v. Diversified Farmers, vi. Landlords-Cocoa Farmers and vii. Coffee Farmers. Degree of vulnerability to climate variability was related to the livelihood strategy of rural households: those best endowed with capitals and with the most diverse livelihood strategies were the least vulnerable (Cattlemen-Cocoa Farmers and Livestock-Cocoa Farmers). While it is necessary to maintain a balance between capitals in the process of adapting to climate variability in rural households, at the community level it is essential to strengthen political capital, which will make it possible to construct and reinforce strategies for adapting to climate variability.

The anaerobic digestion (AD) of animal effluents is strongly developing in France. It produces renewable energy (biogas). Like undigested effluents, the use of anaerobic digestates in the field enables the recycling of nutrients and organic matter in the soil, which decreases the need for synthetic fertilizers and maintains soil organic carbon stocks. However, the treatment and field application of those organic products can also cause greenhouse gas emissions and contaminants. The on-farm AD nfluences those impacts. In order to control them, we need to understand how the co-digestion of animal effluents with imported organic wastes influences C and N cycles at the farm scale. We studied this question with the support of a case study at INRAE in Nouzilly (Centre – Val de Loire, France): a crop and livestock farm where an anaerobic digester treats the cattle effluents together with imported wastes. During the MetaMetha field experiment, we compared N fluxes during a crop rotation that was fertilized with synthetic N fertilizers, undigested cattle slurry and farmyard manure, or digestates issued from their digestion. We found that digestates can substitute synthetic fertilizers, despite the risk of ammonia (NH3) emissions. Earthworms can be negatively impacted just after the application of digestate of slurry, but the input of organic matter induced similar positive impacts after two years. We then evaluated the STICS and SYS-Metha models to simulate the field experiment, and digestate treatment and storage, respectively. Both models were coupled to simulate C and N fluxes at the farm scale. The models showed that when large amounts of digested wastes are imported, AD promotes substitution of synthetic N fertilizers and storage of soil organic C, but also NH3 emissions. The study enabled us to better evaluate the consequences of the on-farm AD and therefore to optimize the sector.; La méthanisation agricole des effluents animaux est une pratique en fort développement en France. Elle produit de l’énergie renouvelable (biogaz). La valorisation des digestats au champ, comme celle des effluents non méthanisés, permet le retour au sol de nutriments et de matière organique, ce qui diminue le besoin en engrais minéraux et entretient les stocks de C des sols. Le traitement et l’épandage de ces produits peut aussi induire l’émission de gaz à effet de serre et de contaminants. La méthanisation agricole influence ces impacts : pour les maitriser, il faut comprendre comment la digestion des effluents avec des déchets importés modifie les cycles du C et du N à l’échelle de la ferme. Cette question a été traitée en s’appuyant sur un cas d’étude à l’INRAE de Nouzilly (Centre – Val de Loire) : une exploitation agricole avec un méthaniseur traitant les effluents de son élevage bovin et divers déchets organiques. Lors de l’essai au champ MétaMétha, nous avons comparé les flux d’azote au cours d’une rotation culturale fertilisée avec des engrais minéraux, des lisiers et fumiers bovins, ou des digestats issus de ces effluents. Les digestats se substituent bien aux engrais minéraux, mais ils sont sensibles à la volatilisation d’ammoniac (NH3). Les vers de terre peuvent être négativement impactés juste après l’épandage de digestat ou de lisier, mais les effets sont similairement positifs après 2 ans d’apports de matière organique. Nous avons ensuite évalué les modèles STICS et SYS-Metha pour simuler respectivement l’essai au champ et le traitement des digestats. Ces modèles ont été couplés pour simuler les flux de C et N à l’échelle de la ferme. Avec de forts imports de déchets, la méthanisation favorise la substitution des engrais minéraux, le stockage de C dans les sols, mais aussi les émissions de NH3. Ce travail permet de mieux évaluer les conséquences de l’introduction d’un méthaniseur dans une exploitation agricole et ainsi d’optimiser la filière.

Dans les régions tropicales, où les rations de base sont souvent déficitaires en protéines, la complémentation est cruciale. Des alternatives à l’utilisation de tourteau de soja sont potentiellement disponibles dans les systèmes agroforestiers et les systèmes mixtes polyculture-élevage intégrés, bien que l’offre soit plus importante pour les ruminants que les monogastriques non herbivores. La valeur nutritionnelle des ressources n’est pas la seule règle de décision : l’évaluation des stratégies alimentaires, dans une approche multicritère, doit considérer les différents services productifs et non productifs. Elle doit en outre prendre en compte la compétition possible entre l’utilisation des ressources par l’Homme et l’animal. Dans le cadre des systèmes mixtes polyculture-élevage intégrés, les ressources duales, dont la valorisation intégrale concilie les besoins de l’Homme et de l’animal, occupent une place stratégique : graines et fanes de légumineuses, feuilles et tubercules de manioc ou de patate douce etc. Les légumineuses annuelles, pérennes ou arbustives présentent des atouts agronomiques et environnementaux importants dans les systèmes intégrés par leur capacité à fixer l’azote. Le rôle de recyclage et la faible emprise sur le foncier agricole des nouvelles sources d’aliments (plantes aquatiques, microorganismes, insectes, vers de terre) sont aussi un atout pour leur développement. La mise au point de technologies adaptées pour lever les verrous (facteurs antinutritionnels, conservation…) permettra de valoriser pleinement le potentiel de nombreuses ressources protéiques.

International audience; Soil acidification and declining fertility are widespread in sub‐Saharan Africa. Nutrient depletion is mainly related to nutrient mining driven by biomass removal without replenishment of nutrients through use of fertilisers. Concomitant acidification is due to the high ash alkalinity of harvested biomass. We determined the nutrient content and ash alkalinity of biomass of the main crops produced in smallholder mixed crop–livestock farming systems in the Malagasy Highlands of Madagascar and calculated the soil acidification/alkalinisation occurring through biomass transfer. Samples of rice and forage were collected from 70 rice plots and 91 cultivated forage plots, and 70 manure samples were collected from farms. Nutrient exports induced by crop harvesting resulted in annual losses of 57 kg nitrogen (N), 6 kg (phosphorus) P and 33 kg potassium (K) ha–1 for rice (grain + straw), and 31–51 kg N, 8–9 kg P and 29–57 kg K ha–1 for each forage cut (with three cuts per year on average). The ash alkalinity of samples, calculated as the difference between cation and anion contents, was 49–100 cmolc kg–1 for forage crops, 31 cmolc kg–1 for rice straw, and only 4 cmolc kg–1 for rice grains. Biomass removal caused a loss of nutrients and an increase in soil acidity. Owing to low nutrient retention efficiency during the handling and storage of manure, the traditional input of manure at 5 t fresh matter ha–1 is insufficient to balance nutrient and alkalinity losses in Malagasy mixed crop–livestock farming systems. Maintaining productive and sustainable mixed crop–livestock farming systems requires greater attention to ensuring a nutrient balance at both plot and farm levels.

International audience; Context: Addressing the environmental impact of agriculture requires a comprehensive analysis of the system at stake, and accounting for the social diversity (i.e. social groups involved in farming and relationships between them) is particularly important for designing efficient policies aimed at mitigating these impacts. However, the integration of this diversity in environmental assessments remains challenging, partly due to the lack of frameworks for combining data and concepts belonging to bio-technical and social sciences. Objective: In this study, we aimed at assessing how the combination of the conceptual frameworks of comparative agriculture and territorial metabolism helps to better understand the environmental impacts of agriculture. In particular, we look at the crop-livestock integration as a possible way to reduce nitrogen losses from agriculture, and study how social diversity shapes this integration. Methods: Combining comparative agriculture and territorial metabolism frameworks, we carried out an intensive fieldwork in Petlad (Gujarat, India) organised in four steps so as to successively (i) capture farm diversity at the micro-regional level, (ii) build archetypes representing farming systems, (iii) assess nitrogen flows at farming systems' level and (iv) model nitrogen metabolism at village level. Results and conclusions: We found that despite obvious potential, crop-livestock interactions were limited, accounting for minor nitrogen flows compared to the flow of inputs, mainly synthetic fertilisers and feed concentrates. The output flows, mainly tobacco, cereals and milk, were also low and most of the input nitrogen was lost to the environment (surplus of over 600 kg N/ha from the cropping system balance), contributing to pollution. While large subsidies for synthetic fertilisers had a role in the development of such huge surpluses, our study showed that this environmentally harmful situation was also influenced by the existing socio-economic conditions and social relations in Petlad. Most of the owners who had sufficient access to land (>1 ha) focused on the very profitable tobacco production and tended to abandon livestock, which they no longer needed either technically or economically. Conversely, households with low or no access to land were motivated to raise dairy animals, in order to supplement small incomes from crops, but faced difficulties in feeding them. We conclude that promoting crop-livestock integration as a potential lever to reduce nitrogen surplus would be unlikely to succeed in the presence of such a strong social lock-in. Significance: Concurring with certain critiques of socio-ecological systems approaches, this result advocates for a better consideration of social diversity in the analysis of the environmental impacts of agriculture and in the design of interventions.

National audience

International audience; In the Middle West, in the Vakinankaratra region of Madagas-car, farms have an increasing need for fertilizers and fodder, and at the same time severe economic constraints to access mineral fertilizers and animal feed. This study shows how crop-livestock integration (CLI) has helped to alleviate part of the difficulty of access to industrial agricultural inputs and contributed to farming intensification. Surveys were con-ducted with 20 farms. Using principal component analy-ses and a classification based on thirteen variables, three structural (cultivated surface area, number of cattle, number of family labor) and ten functional (production of organic manure, purchase of organic manure, purchase of mineral fertilizers, application of organic manure, rainfed rice yield, maize yield, availability of crop residues, use of crop residues, cattle supplementation, grazing duration), five types of farms were characterized: one type of small farms with a high level of CLI, two types of medium-sized farms with a medium and low level of CLI, and two types of large farms with a medium and low level of CLI. Cattle supplementation, number of cat-tle, and grazing duration best differentiated the farms. The energy and protein feed requirements of cattle were covered on a yearly basis for all farms. Nitrogen exports by crops were compensated by inputs on farms with the highest level of CLI. In conclusion, in this context of very limited access to indus-trial inputs, producers turned to CLI strategies, on the one hand, to allocate the organic manure produced on demanding crops (rice and maize) and, on the other hand, to cover cattle feed requirements.; Dans le Moyen-Ouest de la région de Vakinankaratra à Madagascar, les exploitations agricoles ont des besoins croissants en fertilisants et en fourrages, et dans le même temps de sérieuses difficultés économiques d'accès aux engrais minéraux et aux aliments de bétail. Cette étude a montré comment l'intégration agriculture-élevage (IAE) a permis de pallier en partie la difficulté d'accès aux intrants agricoles industriels et de contribuer à l'intensification agricole. Des enquêtes auprès de 20 exploitations agricoles ont été menées. A l'aide d'ana-lyses en composantes principales et d'une classification sur la base de treize variables, trois structurelles (superficie cultivée, nombre de bovins, nombre de mains-d'oeuvre familiales) et dix fonctionnelles (production de fumure orga-nique, achat de fumure organique, achat de fertilisants minéraux, épandage de fumure organique, rendement en riz pluvial, rendement en maïs, disponibilité de résidus de cultures, valorisation de résidus de cultures, complémentation de l'alimentation des bovins, durée de pâturage), cinq types d'exploitations ont été caractérisés : un type de petites exploitations avec un niveau d'IAE fort, deux types d'exploitations de taille moyenne avec un niveau d'IAE moyen et faible, et deux types de grandes exploitations avec un niveau d'IAE moyen et faible. La complémentation de l'alimentation des bovins, le nombre de bovins et la durée de pâturage ont le mieux discriminé les exploitations. Les besoins alimentaires énergétiques et protéiques des bovins étaient couverts à l'échelle de l'année pour toutes les exploitations. Les exportations d'azote par les cultures étaient compensées par les apports dans les exploitations au plus fort niveau d'IAE. En conclusion, dans ce contexte d'accès très limité aux intrants industriels, les producteurs se sont tournés vers des stratégies d'IAE, d'une part, pour allouer la fumure organique produite sur les cultures exigeantes (riz et maïs) et, d'autre part, pour couvrir les besoins alimentaires des animaux.

While livestock constitute a strategic sector to reduce poverty and enhance growth in developing countries, decision makers often lack data reflecting the diversity of livestock functions and systems. We therefore mobilised the Livestock Sector Investment Policy Toolkit to assess the economic contributions of livestock in Zambia. Valuing their plural contributions by system, we found that mixed rainfed systems were the main contributors to added value, even if specialised intensive systems provided around 45% of meat and milk production. Demand-oriented policies promoting intensive systems would not have the same effects on economic growth as growth-oriented policies focusing on smallholder mixed farming. (C) 2019 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. on behalf of The Society for Policy Modeling.

Coastal systems are facing natural and human-driven change coupled with a rising population. With increasing shifts in socioecological conditions during the past several decades, it is important to understand how socioecological drivers at different hierarchical levels: -micro, -meso, and -macro affect coastal farming systems, which play a crucial role in the livelihoods of coastal dwellers. Mixed rice-livestock-aquaculture farming in Southern Bangladesh exemplifies the rapid change occurring in many of the world's coastal farming systems in response to these drivers. We used panel data observations from the above study area and modeled trajectories of farm typologies, and the impact of multi-level socioecological drivers by a novel approach. Our approach integrates: (1) a well-articulated conceptual frame of change observed using (2) a temporal view of the potential drivers, change process and farm type outcomes, with the twenty years panel data of 502 households that is analyzed by means of (3) multivariate statistics in conjunction with panel data models that operationalize the conceptual frame. Our approach allows (a) estimating dynamic effects over time that typically cannot be estimated in a cross-sectional data set, (b) distinguishing between time-invariant fixed and time dependent random effects of multi-level socioecological drivers, and (c) controlling for omitted variables to a certain extent. Considering farming systems both within and outside of polder embankment systems intended to protect against oceanic water intrusion, we found a gradual shift from heterogeneous, rice-livestock farm types to more homogenous farms with less livestock and more off-farm activities. Micro-level factors including farm plot fragmentation, farmers' experience in cropping, machinery, salinity and soil fertility were influencing changes in farming systems. Meso-level factors including markets, road infrastructure, labor availability, access to extension and land tenure also affect the trajectory of farming systems change. Among macro-level drivers, increasing population density positively and significantly influenced cropping intensity among farms outside polder systems. Within polders, a positive but non-significant trend was observed for the influence of population density on cropping intensity. Our data also indicate negative and significant influence of cyclonic storms on cropping intensity over time in both areas. Our results underscore the importance of accounting for multiple levels of socioecological drivers of change when developing appropriate policy options for sustainable development in South Asia's coastal farming systems.

International audience; Mixed farming systems are still prevalent in sub-Saharan Africa. In these systems, the recycling of nutrients through crop-livestock integration (CLI) practices is crucial for the sustainability of soil fertility and crop production. The objective of this study was to analyze nutrient (N, P, K) flows and balances of mixed farming systems to assess CLI contribution to the performance of those systems. We hypothesized that more intensive farms had a better nutrient balance at the farm level, and that improved biomass management methods improved their nutrient balance. Nine farms in the Madagascar highlands were selected, some corresponding to poor traditional farms with only draft cattle; some small or medium-sized, more intensive farms with a dairy herd; and some of the latter with some improvement to management methods of livestock effluents (manure composting, liquid manure collection). The nutrient balance of the farming systems was determined, and performance indicators were calculated at both farming, livestock, and CLI levels. Results showed that nutrient recycling through CLI is significant in the functioning of the systems studied, contributing primarily to circulating nutrient flows (up to 76%) and leading to greater efficiency and productivity. Nutrient flows resulting from these practices mainly concerned animal feeding (higher than 60% of nutrient flows), even if manure management was central for crop fertilization and that manure remained a desired animal product of these types of farms (up to 100% of animal products). Large negative balances of N and K (up to 80% of inputs) were observed in traditional livestock systems with draft cattle. They were smaller (39–68%) in more intensive dairy farms. Composting of manure did not decrease negative balances, whereas their magnitude was significantly reduced by the collection of liquid manure (19% for N; 42% for K). Better management of biomass at the farm level, in particular the collection of liquid manure, seemed to substantially reduce nutrient losses in MFS.

In Western Burkina Faso, dairies are facing a local milk supply problem because production is low, seasonal, fragmented and expensive to collect. This study aimed to identify levers to increase production and reduce seasonality. It was carried out at 18 multicultivator-breeder farms of the Hauts-Bassins region involved in milk production. A multivariate analysis based on variables of farm structure, operation and performance identified five types of polyculture-livestock farms involved in this production: Low-input, pasture-oriented suckling cows with a large number of cows (T1), with a medium number of cows (T2); agropastoral-oriented suckling cows (T3); commercially-oriented, specialized dairy farms with little use of green fodder (T4), or with high use of green fodder (T5). T1 and T2 were characterized by grazing almost exclusively in all seasons and milk production levels of less than two liters per cow per day at lactation peak. Milk from these farms was poorly marketed and seldom sold to dairies. T3 made greater use of dry fodder and feed, allowing to improve milk production, which was frequently marketed in dairies (about 2 L/cow/d at lactation peak). T4 and T5 were characterized by the use of improved breeds, and the extensive use of forage and feed purchased year-round, ensuring higher milk yields (5–13 L/cow/d at lactation peak). These farms sold all of their milk to dairies. Our results highlight the fact that production was severely penalized by a diet that was too poor in quality feed and fodder, and that the seasonality of calving worsened the drop in production at the end of the dry season.

Faced with the major challenge of global population growth, the agricultural sector must reconcile an increase in food production with a decrease in its environmental impact. Crop-livestock integration (CLI) by mixed family farms with low-level inputs may be one way of doing this. One of CLI main principles is to use the resources produced by the various activity units on the farm to manage other units. CLI is built around three major practices: animal draft, forage storage, and organic manure production. The objective of this study was to analyze the effects of these practices on the autonomy, recycling and energy efficiency of mixed family farms. To do this, the gross energy flows of eight mixed family farms in the cotton-growing area of Western Burkina Faso, monitored over a twenty months’ period, were analyzed with the ecological network analysis (ENA) method. The results showed that fodder storage and organic manure production enabled farms to increase recycling and autonomy, and to acquire better energy efficiency. The ENA method highlights the characteristics and performance of farms of different types (crops, crop-livestock, and livestock). It also assesses the contribution of CLI practices to this performance. However, there remains leeway on the level of implementation of CLI practices to improve energy recycling on mixed family farms in the cotton-growing area of Western Burkina Faso.

Session Nutrition: Percid fish; Icthyodiversity as a driving force to promote new agro-ecological approach for Sander lucioperca rearing. Aquaculture Europe 2019

Multiple constraints, such as increased demographic pressure and growing competition for limited water resources, are significantly affecting farming systems in the oases. The combination of these constraining factors impacts the efficiency of inputs’ uses and hampers the incomes from agricultural activities. Livestock has always been a component of the oasis farming systems, covering a wide range of functions: transportation, soil preservation, income generation through meat and milk, draft, and saving. Faced with the recent changes, this study aimed to characterize the roles and contribution of livestock on the overall performances of the oasis farming systems. To do so, twelve farms illustrating four types of livestock systems were selected. Within each farm, we calculated common agricultural efficiency indicators to assess the use efficiency of the most critical production factors in the oasis: land, labor, water, and capital. The results demonstrated that efficient oasis farming systems rely on the crops/livestock association. Thereby, while providing self-consumed food products, livestock intensified farming systems (D’man prolific sheep with off-farm feed resources and dairy cattle) allow an increase in crops’ yields and their incomes. This is particularly obvious for date palms’ incomes, which benefit from the surplus irrigation of the underlying lucerne. In parallel, in specific contexts of the oases where the intensification of agriculture is quite impossible (for instance within areas with scarce groundwater or saline water, or in farms with limited capital) livestock remains the main source of income, adding value to the vast pastoral areas and the by-products of crops (wastes of dates, wheat bran, and straw, etc.).

Ce numéro d'Innovations Agronomiques rassemble des articles issus de communications présentées au colloque national «Les polycultures-élevages: valoriser leurs atouts pour la transition agro-écologique » organisé par le RMT SPyCE et AgroSup Dijon, à Dijon les 10 et 11 octobre 2017.; International audience; Les interactions entre atelier de culture et atelier d’élevage sont perçues dans la littérature scientifiquecomme un concept vertueux. Elles intègrent notamment le bouclage des cycles des nutriments voireune meilleure résilience économique des exploitations. Pourtant, la tendance à la spécialisation desexploitations reste forte. Une solution pourrait être d’envisager un changement d’échelle, et d’imaginerces interactions par le biais de transactions entre exploitations spécialisées à l’échelle du territoire. Pouraccompagner les agriculteurs dans ces démarches, l’enjeu est alors de comprendre le fonctionnementde ces transactions et de déterminer les freins et les leviers pour accompagner les agriculteurs dansces démarches. La théorie des coûts de transactions adaptée aux coopérations agricoles a permisd’identifier les facteurs déterminants à la bonne marche, à la pérennité de projets de coopération et biensûr, les facteurs utiles à l’accompagnement de ces démarches

International audience; Mediterranean livestock fanning systems have evolved to adapt to current and future pressures, including strong demographic growth and urbanization in the coastal zone, greater competition for land and water, and a big shift in the hinterland where farming activities are hardly maintained. We aim to explore future pathways for integrated crop-livestock systems in South and North Mediterranean countries to identify potential sustainable increases in efficiency and adaptability of resource utilization. The research was conducted in three countries, Egypt, France and Morocco, through case studies in a gradient of socio-ecological contexts, from favorable (plains and irrigated lands) to harsher ones (mountains, rain-fed areas). We mobilized farm surveys and monitoring, open-ended interviews, databases and previous studies. Based on a transversal analysis at the local level, we identified two main trends and five archetypical systems: (1) a centrifugal trend of specialization, towards cash crops or dairy herds in favorable areas, and pastoral system for meat production in harsher environments, and (2) a centripetal trend of diversification based on mixed crop-livestock systems in irrigation areas and agropastoral livestock-crop systems in intermediate rain-fed areas. The analysis showed an overwhelming antagonism between social vulnerability and ecological efficiency. Crop and livestock integration reduced the risk of biodiversity loss and low environmental efficiency observed in specialized systems, but mixed systems were more socially vulnerable. Those results call for dedicated rural development policies that favor the diversification as a lever of sustainable development but taking into account the land fragmentation and developing higher value added products chains. Taking advantage of spatial mobility abilities of livestock farming at the regional level, promoting collective actions must be encouraged to allow a wider range of livestock farmers in the hinterlands to live from their activities.

DEUG; Un groupe d'une dizaine d'éleveurs agrobiologistes situés sur les départements des Vosges, de Meurthe et Moselle, et de la Haute-Marne sont regroupés aujourd'hui dans la création d'une filière visant une "meilleure" valorisation de leur lait. L'unité de recherche ASTER de Mirecourt, au travers de son installation expérimentale (une ferme en polyculture-polyélevage en AB), contribue à cette dynamique aux côtés des éleveurs. L'ensemble des fermes du groupe se rejoint autour d'un cahier des charges "Lait de Foin", qui impose une alimentation des troupeaux sans aliments fermentés. L'émergence de cette filière pose des questions sur son contexte de création, sur les aspects organisationnels internes aux exploitations mais aussi sur les similitudes/différences entre les exploitations dans leurs liens à la filière et aux consommateurs. Il existe aussi des enjeux plus techniques sur la fromageabilité spécifique de ces laits. Un partenariat avec l'unité URTAL de Poligny permet de prendre en charge ces questions, tandis que l'unité ASTER se focalise sur les conditions de la création de la filière. C'est sur ce second point que porte le rapport. Il est le fruit d'enquêtes approfondies auprès des agriculteurs du groupe, complétées par des recherches bibliographiques. Une immersion au cœur de la dynamique (observations participantes lors des réunions du groupe d'éleveurs et des différents acteurs – recherche, organismes professionnels agricoles, acteurs privés de collecte ou de transformation –) a enrichi le dispositif d'enquêtes et a permis d'analyser les interactions. L'ensemble du travail permet de repositionner la filière dans son contexte historique, géographique et social.