Sheep Grazing Organic Vineyards And Orchards: What About Copper Poisoning?

"Sheep have long been allowed to graze in orchards and vineyards during winter, generating benefits for bothbreeders and wine or fruit growers. This practice, which had become scarce because of agricultural specialization, isrecently regaining popularity. However, concerns have raised about the potential risk of Chronic Copper Poisoning (CCP)of sheep – particularly in the context of organic agriculture, which widely uses Cu as a fungicide.CCP is driven by the long-term, symptomless Cu accumulation in the liver, potentially leading to a hemolytic crisis thatgenerally triggers animal death within 48h. Our study aimed at evaluating both the quantity and dynamics of Cu in thecover vegetation of vineyards and orchards, and the potential harmful effects of Cu on the health of sheep that grazetherein. Our results show that i/ Cu content and assimilability is high in the studied plots, and may lead to CCP; ii/surprisingly, sheep show only slight signs of ongoing CCP.

Monitoring methods adapted to different perceptions and uses of functional biodiversity: Insights from a European qualitative study

The role of functional biodiversity for favouring natural regulation and reducing pesticide use in fruit production is generally acknowledged. Although a number of farmers attempt to favour biodiversity through different strategies (e.g. diversified hedges, nesting boxes), they often lack means to evaluate how their actions contribute in practice to functional biodiversity. We assumed here that to create useful and appropriate monitoring methods, it is necessary to take into account the variety of knowledge, perceptions and interests about functional biodiversity. To test our hypothesis, we adopted a comprehensive and participative approach based on interviews and workshops with farmers, advisors and field agronomists involved in apple orchard management. Our objective was to understand their different perceptions and uses of functional biodiversity and then, to design monitoring methods adapted to those perceptions and pre-existing uses. Our findings revealed both a plurality of perceptions of functional biodiversity along with a diversity of objectives and uses of monitoring methods. Based on these results, we identified four main attitudes towards the management of functional biodiversity: the wait-and-see attitude, the naturalist attitude, the regulation attitude and the multifunctional attitude. These attitudes do not correspond to person's profiles, since one person can adopt different attitudes in regard to different biodiversity components or in regard to the different practices supporting biodiversity. In addition, attitudes can vary over time. The identification of these attitudes allowed us to design, with the workshops' participants, a guiding framework to create monitoring programs (i.e. combinations of monitoring methods) adapted to a variety of uses and targeted services

Perception et gestion par les agriculteurs de la biodiversité fonctionnelle dans les vergers à pomme en agriculture biologique

Les bénéfices de la biodiversité fonctionnelle, notamment en terme de lutte contre les ravageurs, font l'objet de débats entre les praticiens et on sait peu de choses sur les pratiques et les motivations des agriculteurs pour favoriser cette biodiversité. Nous avons supposé que l'utilisation de méthodes de suivi aiderait les agriculteurs à mieux apprécier les bénéfices de la biodiversité fonctionnelle et les inciterait à mettre en œuvre des pratiques qui lui sont favorables. Nous avons mis en œuvre une approche globale combinant des entretiens semi-directifs et des ateliers participatifs pour décrire les pratiques et la perception des agriculteurs vis-à-vis de la biodiversité fonctionnelle et concevoir des méthodes de suivi adaptées à leurs besoins. Nos résultats fournissent des preuves empiriques que la biodiversité fonctionnelle est associée à de multiples services et dis-services. En outre, ils montrent que l'expérience et le temps disponible des agriculteurs sont deux conditions importantes à la mise en œuvre de pratiques favorables à la biodiversité fonctionnelle. Quatre attitudes principales envers la gestion de la biodiversité fonctionnelle ont été caractérisées : attentisme, naturalisme, régulation et multifonctionnalité. La connaissance de ces attitudes fournit un cadre utile pour concevoir des outils de soutien et des programmes de recherche en adéquation avec les besoins des agriculteurs

Farmers Appreciation And Management Of Functional Functional Biodiversity In Organic Apple Orchards

The benefits of functional biodiversity (FB) for pest control are under debate among practitioners. L and little is known about farmers’ practices and motivations to foster FB. We assumed that the use of monitoring methods would help the farmers to better appreciate the benefits of functional biodiversityFB and thus implement favorable practices. Therefore, w We performed undertook a comprehensive approach strategy combining consisting of wide semi-directive interviews and participatory workshops to describe farmers’ practices and perception, and design monitoring methods adapted to their needs. Our findings provide empirical evidence that FB is associated with multiple services and dis-services. Additionally, and thatthe farmers’ experience and time are two important conditions for farmers’ involvement for FB. Four main attitudes towards the management of FB were characterized: wait-and-see, naturalist, regulation, and multifunctional. These attitudes provide a useful framework to design support tools and research programs in adequacy line with farmers’ need

Co-Design Of Agroecological Temperate Fruit Tree Systems: Approach, Tradeoffs And Outputs

Crop diversification and ecological intensification are a way to foster ecosystem services and produce in very low input systems. We analyzed the design process of three experimental sites that shared the same objective of ecological intensification and diversification in fruit tree production. Agronomic, ecological and organizational aspects were involved in the approach. Pest suppressive plant diversification, resource sharing among cultivated and associated plants, and feasibility were key elements. Identifying the expected functions of each plant species or assemblage (e.g. barrier, trap, production) was also crucial. Co-design brought experiences and expertises and was a powerful way to obtain trade-offs between targeted services in the design of innovative fruit production systems being now experimented. Further research and evaluation of the experimented prototypes are still required but the present analysis opens avenues for agroecological design in perennial crops

Associer élevage ovin et arboriculture - Trois types de pâturage en verger

National audienc

Associer élevage ovin et arboriculture - Trois types de pâturage en verger

National audienc

A methodology for redesigning agroecological radical production systems at the farm level

International audienceA redesign process at the farm level may be required for agricultural production systems to evolve in a manner that reduces their environmental and health impacts. This process leads to imagining configurations described as “radical” because they reach beyond the limits posed by the substitution of synthetic inputs by natural ones. An assessment of the possible effects of these configurations on farm functioning and performance is required to inform stakeholders about the advantages of testing and implementing them. This study describes an approach for designing and assessing such configurations that involves researchers, technicians and farmers. Some of these stakeholders can play the role of designers, who lead the redesign process, and/or experts, who provide references and knowledge throughout the exercise. The approach is based on six principles (evaluation, plausibility, precision, flexibility, diversity, iteration) and includes eight steps. Based on a diagnosis of the production context (step 1), some ideas of radical production system are imagined (step 2), which define the kind of experts to be involved (step 3). A farm, virtual or real, then is selected and characterized as a case study (step 4), and the specific objectives driving the farm's redesign process are described (step 5). Scenarios are then designed and characterized (step 6), quantitatively assessed using a simulation tool dedicated to the kind of production system studied (step 7), and compared in order to feed debates between designers and experts on the merits and limits of the various options designed (step 8). Steps 6 through 8 may be repeated as new ideas emerge. This methodology is illustrated with the case of a farm specialized in apple production on which a sheep unit is introduced to reduce pesticide use by ensuring grass management and reducing pest pressure. Two scenarios are designed according to the kind of sheep management. CoHort software was used to assess the two scenarios in terms of economic performance, frequency of pesticide use, and farm work organization. The limits and values of this redesign process are discussed regarding the hypothesis that must be made to characterize virtual biodiversity-based systems, the kind of involvement expected from farmers, and the opportunities provided by moving from the farm to territory scale in the case of crop-livestock systems. This redesign approach can potentially be applied to many topics, ranging from the consistent combination of agroecological practices to futuristic scenarios involving robots

Associer arboriculture et élevage. Quels challenges à relever ?

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