Green belts in the hands and minds of farmers: A socio-agronomical approach to farmers' practices
Résumé
Biodiversity has dramatically decreased in the last decades: mainly because of urban sprawl and the development of intensive agriculture. In France, this topic is addressed by the "blue and green belts" measure, which are part of the "Grenelle" laws. The objective of this measure is to preserve or re-create paths to allow animal or vegetal species to move from one habitat to another. We carried out a research project (PASSAGES) as part of a research program funded by the French ministry in charge of ecology (DIVA 3). This project aims to analyse how the green belts measure can be implemented and especially how farming can contribute to preservation of green belts. The objectives of the research are: (i) to identify the different semi-natural elements in farming areas which can contribute to green belts, such as permanent grasslands, hedges, woods, fallows, grass strips, and isolated trees; (ii) to understand farmers' practices and knowledge concerning these elements and the reasons for their practices; and (iii) to point out which characteristics of farms and farmers' practices seem to be favourable for preservation and maintenance of semi-natural features. The methodology combined a cartographic approach to localize semi-natural elements in farming areas with an agronomical and sociological approach to analyse farmers' practices; based on deep interviews among a sample of 20 farmers. The studied area is located in the French Alps, in the periurban context of Grenoble (Valley of Gresivaudan). The farming systems are mainly based on cattle or sheep production in the hillsides and on mixed crops in the plains. The results of this work show that semi-natural elements are differently integrated into farming systems (i) depending on their nature (productive elements such as grasslands versus unproductive ones such as hedges) and (ii) depending on their function and usefulness in farming system (for example isolated trees which can offer shade for cattle or hedges which can host auxiliary insects). However the integration of these elements in farming systems also depends on the territorial context of the farming area as well as on how farmers consider them in a patrimonial, an aesthetic, or a sensitive point of view. Combining those criteria, we identify four different profiles of farmers' behaviours concerning semi-natural elements. These results suggest that the implementation of green belts in agricultural areas should not be only based on technical and economic criteria, but should also take into account both the different types of natural or semi-natural elements to be preserved and the different types of farmers' profiles.
Le dispositif réglementaire français de la trame verte vise à maintenir ou à reconstituer les continuités écologiques terrestres, en vue de freiner l'érosion de la biodiversité. Les agriculteurs sont particulièrement interpellés par ce dispositif, car ils gèrent différents éléments semi-naturels susceptibles de contribuer à la trame verte et présents sur leurs parcellaires, tels les haies, les bandes enherbées, les jachères, les arbres isolés, les bois ou les prairies permanentes. L'objectif de cette étude est de mieux comprendre les pratiques des agriculteurs concernant ces éléments semi-naturels ainsi que le raisons de ces pratiques. Elle est basée sur une enquête par entretiens semi-directifs auprès de vingt exploitants agricoles de la vallée du Grésivaudan. Les résultats montrent que les éléments semi-naturels sont différemment intégrés au sein des exploitations agricoles selon leur nature, leur localisation ainsi que les fonctions qui leur sont attribués. Les pratiques de conservation, de suppression et d'entretien de ces éléments varient en fonction du contexte territorial et répondent également à des préoccupations d'ordre esthétique, patrimonial ou sentimental, propre à chaque exploitant. La combinaison de ces critères amène à l'identification de quatre profils-types d'agriculteurs concernant la gestion des éléments semi-naturels susceptibles de contribuer à la trame verte. / Biodiversity has dramatically decreased in the last decades: mainly because of urban sprawl and the development of intensive agriculture. In France, this topic is addressed by the "blue and green belts" measure, which are part of the "Grenelle" laws. The objective of this measure is to preserve or re-create paths to allow animal or vegetal species to move from one habitat to another. We carried out a research project (PASSAGES) as part of a research program funded by the French ministry in charge of ecology (DIVA 3). This project aims to analyse how the green belts measure can be implemented and especially how farming can contribute to preservation of green belts. The objectives of the research are: (i) to identify the different semi-natural elements in farming areas which can contribute to green belts, such as permanent grasslands, hedges, woods, fallows, grass strips, and isolated trees; (ii) to understand farmers' practices and knowledge concerning these elements and the reasons for their practices; and (iii) to point out which characteristics of farms and farmers' practices seem to be favourable for preservation and maintenance of semi-natural features. The methodology combined a cartographic approach to localize semi-natural elements in farming areas with an agronomical and sociological approach to analyse farmers' practices; based on deep interviews among a sample of 20 farmers. The studied area is located in the French Alps, in the periurban context of Grenoble (Valley of Gresivaudan). The farming systems are mainly based on cattle or sheep production in the hillsides and on mixed crops in the plains. The results of this work show that semi-natural elements are differently integrated into farming systems (i) depending on their nature (productive elements such as grasslands versus unproductive ones such as hedges) and (ii) depending on their function and usefulness in farming system (for example isolated trees which can offer shade for cattle or hedges which can host auxiliary insects). However the integration of these elements in farming systems also depends on the territorial context of the farming area as well as on how farmers consider them in a patrimonial, an aesthetic, or a sensitive point of view. Combining those criteria, we identify four different profiles of farmers' behaviours concerning semi-natural elements. These results suggest that the implementation of green belts in agricultural areas should not be only based on technical and economic criteria, but should also take into account both the different types of natural or semi-natural elements to be preserved and the different types of farmers' profiles.
Le dispositif réglementaire français de la trame verte vise à maintenir ou à reconstituer les continuités écologiques terrestres, en vue de freiner l'érosion de la biodiversité. Les agriculteurs sont particulièrement interpellés par ce dispositif, car ils gèrent différents éléments semi-naturels susceptibles de contribuer à la trame verte et présents sur leurs parcellaires, tels les haies, les bandes enherbées, les jachères, les arbres isolés, les bois ou les prairies permanentes. L'objectif de cette étude est de mieux comprendre les pratiques des agriculteurs concernant ces éléments semi-naturels ainsi que le raisons de ces pratiques. Elle est basée sur une enquête par entretiens semi-directifs auprès de vingt exploitants agricoles de la vallée du Grésivaudan. Les résultats montrent que les éléments semi-naturels sont différemment intégrés au sein des exploitations agricoles selon leur nature, leur localisation ainsi que les fonctions qui leur sont attribués. Les pratiques de conservation, de suppression et d'entretien de ces éléments varient en fonction du contexte territorial et répondent également à des préoccupations d'ordre esthétique, patrimonial ou sentimental, propre à chaque exploitant. La combinaison de ces critères amène à l'identification de quatre profils-types d'agriculteurs concernant la gestion des éléments semi-naturels susceptibles de contribuer à la trame verte. / Biodiversity has dramatically decreased in the last decades: mainly because of urban sprawl and the development of intensive agriculture. In France, this topic is addressed by the "blue and green belts" measure, which are part of the "Grenelle" laws. The objective of this measure is to preserve or re-create paths to allow animal or vegetal species to move from one habitat to another. We carried out a research project (PASSAGES) as part of a research program funded by the French ministry in charge of ecology (DIVA 3). This project aims to analyse how the green belts measure can be implemented and especially how farming can contribute to preservation of green belts. The objectives of the research are: (i) to identify the different semi-natural elements in farming areas which can contribute to green belts, such as permanent grasslands, hedges, woods, fallows, grass strips, and isolated trees; (ii) to understand farmers' practices and knowledge concerning these elements and the reasons for their practices; and (iii) to point out which characteristics of farms and farmers' practices seem to be favourable for preservation and maintenance of semi-natural features. The methodology combined a cartographic approach to localize semi-natural elements in farming areas with an agronomical and sociological approach to analyse farmers' practices; based on deep interviews among a sample of 20 farmers. The studied area is located in the French Alps, in the periurban context of Grenoble (Valley of Gresivaudan). The farming systems are mainly based on cattle or sheep production in the hillsides and on mixed crops in the plains. The results of this work show that semi-natural elements are differently integrated into farming systems (i) depending on their nature (productive elements such as grasslands versus unproductive ones such as hedges) and (ii) depending on their function and usefulness in farming system (for example isolated trees which can offer shade for cattle or hedges which can host auxiliary insects). However the integration of these elements in farming systems also depends on the territorial context of the farming area as well as on how farmers consider them in a patrimonial, an aesthetic, or a sensitive point of view. Combining those criteria, we identify four different profiles of farmers' behaviours concerning semi-natural elements. These results suggest that the implementation of green belts in agricultural areas should not be only based on technical and economic criteria, but should also take into account both the different types of natural or semi-natural elements to be preserved and the different types of farmers' profiles.
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