Stakeholder perspectives to improve risk management in European farming systems

The challenges faced by agricultural systems call for an advance in risk management (RM) assessments. This research identifies and discusses potential improvements to RM across 11 European Union (EU) farming systems (FS). The paper proposes a comprehensive, participatory approach that accounts for multi-stakeholder perspectives relying on 11 focus groups for brainstorming and gathering suggestions to improve RM. Data analysis is based on content analysis and coding of suggested improvements, and their assessment through the lenses of main challenges faced, farms’ flexibility, and dependence on subsidies. First, the results show that necessary improvements differ depending on whether they have their origin in sudden shocks or long-term pressures. Second, farm dependence on direct payments determines a stronger need to improve financial instruments, whereas farm flexibility suggests a need for more accessible and tailored tools for low-flexibility FS, and increased know-what and know-how for high-flexibility FS. Third, our findings indicate a potential for extending stakeholder involvement in RM to new or unconventional roles. Underlying specific improvements, the paper suggests and discusses three main avenues to improve RM as a whole: i) a developed learning and knowledge network; ii) new forms of collaboration; and iii) integrated financial and policy instruments

Integrated Assessment of the Sustainability and Resilience of Farming Systems : Lessons from the Past and Ways Forward for the Future

This chapter assessed sustainability and resilience of eleven farming systems in their current situation, as well as in hypothetical future systems, using qualitative and quantitative methods. The assessment shows that current farming systems address sustainability dimensions in an unbalanced way and are characterized by poor resilience. Future resilient systems are imagined to promote environmental and social functions in the long term

D5.3 Resilience assessment of current farming systems across the European Union

For improving sustainability and resilience of EU farming system, the current state needs to be assessed, before being able to move on to future scenarios. Assessing sustainability and resilience of farming systems is a multi-faceted research challenge in terms of the scientific domains and scales of integration (farm, household, farming system level) that need to be covered. Hence, in SURE-Farm, multiple approaches are used to evaluate current sustainability and resilience and its underlying structures and drivers. To maintain consistency across the different approaches, all approaches are connected to a resilience framework which was developed for the unique purposes of SURE-Farm. The resilience framework follows five steps: 1) the farming system (resilience of what?), 2) challenges (resilience to what?), 3) functions (resilience for what purpose?), 4) resilience capacities, 5) resilience attributes (what enhances resilience?). The framework was operationalized in 11 case studies across the EU. Applied approaches differ in disciplinary orientation and the farming system process they focus on. Three approaches focus on risk management: 1) a farm survey with a main focus on risk management and risk management strategies, 2) interviews on farmers’ learning capacity and networks of influence, and 3) Focus Groups on risk management. Two approaches address farm demographics: 4) interviews on farm demographics, and 5) AgriPoliS Focus Group workshops on structural change of farming systems from a (farm) demographics perspective. One approach applied so far addresses governance: 6) the Resilience Assessment Tool that evaluates how policies and legislation support resilience of farming systems. Two methods address agricultural production and delivery of public and private goods: 7) the Framework of Participatory Impact Assessment for sustainable and resilient farming systems (FoPIA-SURE-Farm), aiming to integrate multiple perspectives at farming system level, and 8) the Ecosystem Services assessment that evaluates the delivery of public and private goods. In a few case studies, additional methods were applied. Specifically, in the Italian case study, additional statistical approaches were used to increase the support for risk management options (Appendix A and Appendix B). Results of the different methods were compared and synthesized per step of the resilience framework. Synthesized results were used to determine the position of the farming system in the adaptive cycle, i.e. in the exploitation, conservation, release, or reorganization phase. Dependent on the current phase of the farming system, strategies for improving sustainability and resilience were developed. Results were synthesized around the three aspects characterizing the SURE-Farm framework, i.e. (i) it studies resilience at the farming system level, (ii) considers three resilience capacities, and (iii) assesses resilience in the context of the (changing) functions of the system. (i) Many actors are part of the farming system. However, resilience-enhancing strategies are mostly defined at the farm level. In each farming system multiple actors are considered to be part of the system, such as consultants, neighbors, local selling networks and nature organizations. The number of different farming system actors beyond the focal farmers varies between 4 (in French beef and Italian hazelnut systems) and 14 (large-scale arable systems in the UK). These large numbers of actors illustrate the relevance of looking at farming system level rather than at farm level. It also suggests that discussions about resilience and future strategies need to embrace all of these actors. (ii) At system level there is a low perceived capacity to transform. Yet, most systems appear to be at the start of a period in which (incremental) transformation is required. At system level, the capacity to transform is perceived to be relatively low, except in the Romanian mixed farming system. The latter may reflect a combination of ample room to grow and a relatively stable environment (especially when compared to the past 30 to 50 years). The relatively low capacity to transform in the majority of systems is not in line with the suggestion that most systems are at the start of (incremental) transformation, or, at least, reached a situation in which they can no longer grow. Further growth is only deemed possible in the Belgium dairy, Italian hazelnut, Polish fruit and Romanian mixed farming systems. (iii) System functions score well with regard to the delivery of high-quality and safe food but face problems with quality of rural life and protecting biodiversity. Resilience capacities can only be understood in the context of the functions to be delivered by a farming system. We find that across all systems required functions are a mix of private and public goods. With regard to the capacity to deliver private goods, all systems perform well with respect to high-quality and safe food. Viability of farm income is regarded moderate or low in the livestock systems in Belgium (dairy), France (beef) and Sweden (broilers), and the fruit farming system in Poland. Across all functions, attention is especially needed for the delivery of public goods. More specifically the quality of rural life and infrastructure are frequently classified as being important, but currently performing bad. Despite the concerns about the delivery of public goods, many future strategies still focus on improving the delivery of private goods. Suggestions in the area of public goods include among others the implementation of conservation farming in the UK arable system, improved water management in the Italian hazelnut system, and introduction of technologies which reduce the use of herbicides in Polish fruit systems. It is questionable whether these are sufficient to address the need to improve the maintenance of natural resources, biodiversity and attractiveness of rural areas. With regard to the changing of functions over time, we did not find evidence for this in our farming systems

Évaluation de la résilience de systèmes agricoles européens à des conséquences du pic pétrolier mondial à l'aide d'un modèle dynamique de flux d'azote

European farming systems (FS) are currently dependent on fossil fuels, among other things for the nitrogen fertiliser’s synthesis and the feed import (inputs). However, the global peak oil could be reached by 2030, leading to a price increase of these inputs and a decrease in the capacity of farmers to buy them. This dependence raises questions about the resilience of these FSs, i.e. their ability to maintain food production. The aim of this thesis was to assess the resilience of European FSs to constraints on input imports. To address it, I developed a dynamic nitrogen balance macro-model of a FS with 3 compartments (livestock, plant and soil) and 2 land-uses (permanent grassland and cropland). I explored this model for FSs in France (extensive beef farms, field crops or intensive monogastric farms) and in Portugal (extensive beef farms). I investigated two components of resilience: (1) robustness, i.e. their ability to maintain food production in the face of a progressive decline in input imports, in simulation mode, and (2) adaptability potential, i.e. the changes in crop-livestock compositions that can be envisaged to increase robustness, in multi-objective optimisation mode. I found that specialised French FSs (field crops or intensive monogastric farms) are less robust in the short-term than mixed FSs. In the long-term, the FSs with high feed-food competition (FFC) are the most robust. In optimisation mode, I showed that a decrease in FFC is a compositional change that maximises food production without imported inputs. In the Portuguese FS, I identified a trade-off between beef production robustness and climate change mitigation, which can be alleviated with the combination of agroecological practices. These compositional changes should be implemented as soon as possible to prevent food insecurity in the face of input constraints.Les systèmes agricoles (SA) européens sont actuellement dépendants des énergies fossiles, entre autres pour la synthèse des engrais azotés et l’import de nourriture animale (intrants). Or le pic pétrolier mondial pourrait être atteint d’ici 2030, et entrainer un renchérissement de ces intrants, et une diminution de la capacité des agriculteurs à les acheter. Ainsi, cette dépendance questionne la résilience de ces SAs, c’est-à-dire leur capacité à maintenir la production de nourriture. L’objectif de cette thèse était d’évaluer la résilience de SAs européens à des contraintes sur l’import en intrants. Pour y répondre, j’ai développé un macro-modèle dynamique de bilan d’azote d’un SA constitué de 3 compartiments (cheptel, plante et sol) et de deux usages des sols (prairies permanentes et cultures). J’ai exploré ce modèle pour des SAs en France (élevages de bovins viande extensifs, grandes cultures ou élevages de monogastriques intensifs) et au Portugal (élevages de bovins viande extensifs). J’ai exploré 2 composantes de la résilience: (1) la robustesse, c’est-à-dire leur capacité à maintenir la production de nourriture face à une baisse progressive de l’import en intrants, en mode simulation, et (2) et le potentiel d’adaptabilité, c’est-à-dire les changements de compositions cultures-cheptel envisageables pour augmenter la robustesse, en mode optimisation multi-objectif. J’ai trouvé que les SAs français spécialisés (grandes cultures ou élevages de monogastriques intensifs) sont moins robustes à court terme que les SAs mixtes. A long terme, les SAs dont la compétition alimentation animale-alimentation humaine (CAH) est élevée sont les plus robustes. En mode optimisation, j’ai montré que la baisse de la CAH est un changement de compositions qui maximise la production de nourriture en l’absence d’import d’intrants. Dans le SA Portugais, j’ai identifié un compromis entre la robustesse de la production de viande et l'atténuation du changement c limatique, qui peut être atténué avec la combinaison de pratiques agroécologiques. Ces changements de compositions devraient être mis en place au plus tôt pour prévenir l’insécurité alimentaire face à des contraintes sur l’import en intrants

Évaluation de la résilience de systèmes agricoles européens à des conséquences du pic pétrolier mondial à l'aide d'un modèle dynamique de flux d'azote

European farming systems (FS) are currently dependent on fossil fuels, among other things for the nitrogen fertiliser’s synthesis and the feed import (inputs). However, the global peak oil could be reached by 2030, leading to a price increase of these inputs and a decrease in the capacity of farmers to buy them. This dependence raises questions about the resilience of these FSs, i.e. their ability to maintain food production. The aim of this thesis was to assess the resilience of European FSs to constraints on input imports. To address it, I developed a dynamic nitrogen balance macro-model of a FS with 3 compartments (livestock, plant and soil) and 2 land-uses (permanent grassland and cropland). I explored this model for FSs in France (extensive beef farms, field crops or intensive monogastric farms) and in Portugal (extensive beef farms). I investigated two components of resilience: (1) robustness, i.e. their ability to maintain food production in the face of a progressive decline in input imports, in simulation mode, and (2) adaptability potential, i.e. the changes in crop-livestock compositions that can be envisaged to increase robustness, in multi-objective optimisation mode. I found that specialised French FSs (field crops or intensive monogastric farms) are less robust in the short-term than mixed FSs. In the long-term, the FSs with high feed-food competition (FFC) are the most robust. In optimisation mode, I showed that a decrease in FFC is a compositional change that maximises food production without imported inputs. In the Portuguese FS, I identified a trade-off between beef production robustness and climate change mitigation, which can be alleviated with the combination of agroecological practices. These compositional changes should be implemented as soon as possible to prevent food insecurity in the face of input constraints.Les systèmes agricoles (SA) européens sont actuellement dépendants des énergies fossiles, entre autres pour la synthèse des engrais azotés et l’import de nourriture animale (intrants). Or le pic pétrolier mondial pourrait être atteint d’ici 2030, et entrainer un renchérissement de ces intrants, et une diminution de la capacité des agriculteurs à les acheter. Ainsi, cette dépendance questionne la résilience de ces SAs, c’est-à-dire leur capacité à maintenir la production de nourriture. L’objectif de cette thèse était d’évaluer la résilience de SAs européens à des contraintes sur l’import en intrants. Pour y répondre, j’ai développé un macro-modèle dynamique de bilan d’azote d’un SA constitué de 3 compartiments (cheptel, plante et sol) et de deux usages des sols (prairies permanentes et cultures). J’ai exploré ce modèle pour des SAs en France (élevages de bovins viande extensifs, grandes cultures ou élevages de monogastriques intensifs) et au Portugal (élevages de bovins viande extensifs). J’ai exploré 2 composantes de la résilience: (1) la robustesse, c’est-à-dire leur capacité à maintenir la production de nourriture face à une baisse progressive de l’import en intrants, en mode simulation, et (2) et le potentiel d’adaptabilité, c’est-à-dire les changements de compositions cultures-cheptel envisageables pour augmenter la robustesse, en mode optimisation multi-objectif. J’ai trouvé que les SAs français spécialisés (grandes cultures ou élevages de monogastriques intensifs) sont moins robustes à court terme que les SAs mixtes. A long terme, les SAs dont la compétition alimentation animale-alimentation humaine (CAH) est élevée sont les plus robustes. En mode optimisation, j’ai montré que la baisse de la CAH est un changement de compositions qui maximise la production de nourriture en l’absence d’import d’intrants. Dans le SA Portugais, j’ai identifié un compromis entre la robustesse de la production de viande et l'atténuation du changement c limatique, qui peut être atténué avec la combinaison de pratiques agroécologiques. Ces changements de compositions devraient être mis en place au plus tôt pour prévenir l’insécurité alimentaire face à des contraintes sur l’import en intrants

Évaluation de la résilience de systèmes agricoles européens à des conséquences du pic pétrolier mondial à l'aide d'un modèle dynamique de flux d'azote

European farming systems (FS) are currently dependent on fossil fuels, among other things for the nitrogen fertiliser’s synthesis and the feed import (inputs). However, the global peak oil could be reached by 2030, leading to a price increase of these inputs and a decrease in the capacity of farmers to buy them. This dependence raises questions about the resilience of these FSs, i.e. their ability to maintain food production. The aim of this thesis was to assess the resilience of European FSs to constraints on input imports. To address it, I developed a dynamic nitrogen balance macro-model of a FS with 3 compartments (livestock, plant and soil) and 2 land-uses (permanent grassland and cropland). I explored this model for FSs in France (extensive beef farms, field crops or intensive monogastric farms) and in Portugal (extensive beef farms). I investigated two components of resilience: (1) robustness, i.e. their ability to maintain food production in the face of a progressive decline in input imports, in simulation mode, and (2) adaptability potential, i.e. the changes in crop-livestock compositions that can be envisaged to increase robustness, in multi-objective optimisation mode. I found that specialised French FSs (field crops or intensive monogastric farms) are less robust in the short-term than mixed FSs. In the long-term, the FSs with high feed-food competition (FFC) are the most robust. In optimisation mode, I showed that a decrease in FFC is a compositional change that maximises food production without imported inputs. In the Portuguese FS, I identified a trade-off between beef production robustness and climate change mitigation, which can be alleviated with the combination of agroecological practices. These compositional changes should be implemented as soon as possible to prevent food insecurity in the face of input constraints.Les systèmes agricoles (SA) européens sont actuellement dépendants des énergies fossiles, entre autres pour la synthèse des engrais azotés et l’import de nourriture animale (intrants). Or le pic pétrolier mondial pourrait être atteint d’ici 2030, et entrainer un renchérissement de ces intrants, et une diminution de la capacité des agriculteurs à les acheter. Ainsi, cette dépendance questionne la résilience de ces SAs, c’est-à-dire leur capacité à maintenir la production de nourriture. L’objectif de cette thèse était d’évaluer la résilience de SAs européens à des contraintes sur l’import en intrants. Pour y répondre, j’ai développé un macro-modèle dynamique de bilan d’azote d’un SA constitué de 3 compartiments (cheptel, plante et sol) et de deux usages des sols (prairies permanentes et cultures). J’ai exploré ce modèle pour des SAs en France (élevages de bovins viande extensifs, grandes cultures ou élevages de monogastriques intensifs) et au Portugal (élevages de bovins viande extensifs). J’ai exploré 2 composantes de la résilience: (1) la robustesse, c’est-à-dire leur capacité à maintenir la production de nourriture face à une baisse progressive de l’import en intrants, en mode simulation, et (2) et le potentiel d’adaptabilité, c’est-à-dire les changements de compositions cultures-cheptel envisageables pour augmenter la robustesse, en mode optimisation multi-objectif. J’ai trouvé que les SAs français spécialisés (grandes cultures ou élevages de monogastriques intensifs) sont moins robustes à court terme que les SAs mixtes. A long terme, les SAs dont la compétition alimentation animale-alimentation humaine (CAH) est élevée sont les plus robustes. En mode optimisation, j’ai montré que la baisse de la CAH est un changement de compositions qui maximise la production de nourriture en l’absence d’import d’intrants. Dans le SA Portugais, j’ai identifié un compromis entre la robustesse de la production de viande et l'atténuation du changement c limatique, qui peut être atténué avec la combinaison de pratiques agroécologiques. Ces changements de compositions devraient être mis en place au plus tôt pour prévenir l’insécurité alimentaire face à des contraintes sur l’import en intrants

Évaluation de la résilience de systèmes agricoles européens à des conséquences du pic pétrolier mondial à l'aide d'un modèle dynamique de flux d'azote

Les systèmes agricoles (SA) européens sont actuellement dépendants des énergies fossiles, entre autres pour la synthèse des engrais azotés et l’import de nourriture animale (intrants). Or le pic pétrolier mondial pourrait être atteint d’ici 2030, et entrainer un renchérissement de ces intrants, et une diminution de la capacité des agriculteurs à les acheter. Ainsi, cette dépendance questionne la résilience de ces SAs, c’est-à-dire leur capacité à maintenir la production de nourriture. L’objectif de cette thèse était d’évaluer la résilience de SAs européens à des contraintes sur l’import en intrants. Pour y répondre, j’ai développé un macro-modèle dynamique de bilan d’azote d’un SA constitué de 3 compartiments (cheptel, plante et sol) et de deux usages des sols (prairies permanentes et cultures). J’ai exploré ce modèle pour des SAs en France (élevages de bovins viande extensifs, grandes cultures ou élevages de monogastriques intensifs) et au Portugal (élevages de bovins viande extensifs). J’ai exploré 2 composantes de la résilience: (1) la robustesse, c’est-à-dire leur capacité à maintenir la production de nourriture face à une baisse progressive de l’import en intrants, en mode simulation, et (2) et le potentiel d’adaptabilité, c’est-à-dire les changements de compositions cultures-cheptel envisageables pour augmenter la robustesse, en mode optimisation multi-objectif. J’ai trouvé que les SAs français spécialisés (grandes cultures ou élevages de monogastriques intensifs) sont moins robustes à court terme que les SAs mixtes. A long terme, les SAs dont la compétition alimentation animale-alimentation humaine (CAH) est élevée sont les plus robustes. En mode optimisation, j’ai montré que la baisse de la CAH est un changement de compositions qui maximise la production de nourriture en l’absence d’import d’intrants. Dans le SA Portugais, j’ai identifié un compromis entre la robustesse de la production de viande et l'atténuation du changement c limatique, qui peut être atténué avec la combinaison de pratiques agroécologiques. Ces changements de compositions devraient être mis en place au plus tôt pour prévenir l’insécurité alimentaire face à des contraintes sur l’import en intrants.European farming systems (FS) are currently dependent on fossil fuels, among other things for the nitrogen fertiliser’s synthesis and the feed import (inputs). However, the global peak oil could be reached by 2030, leading to a price increase of these inputs and a decrease in the capacity of farmers to buy them. This dependence raises questions about the resilience of these FSs, i.e. their ability to maintain food production. The aim of this thesis was to assess the resilience of European FSs to constraints on input imports. To address it, I developed a dynamic nitrogen balance macro-model of a FS with 3 compartments (livestock, plant and soil) and 2 land-uses (permanent grassland and cropland). I explored this model for FSs in France (extensive beef farms, field crops or intensive monogastric farms) and in Portugal (extensive beef farms). I investigated two components of resilience: (1) robustness, i.e. their ability to maintain food production in the face of a progressive decline in input imports, in simulation mode, and (2) adaptability potential, i.e. the changes in crop-livestock compositions that can be envisaged to increase robustness, in multi-objective optimisation mode. I found that specialised French FSs (field crops or intensive monogastric farms) are less robust in the short-term than mixed FSs. In the long-term, the FSs with high feed-food competition (FFC) are the most robust. In optimisation mode, I showed that a decrease in FFC is a compositional change that maximises food production without imported inputs. In the Portuguese FS, I identified a trade-off between beef production robustness and climate change mitigation, which can be alleviated with the combination of agroecological practices. These compositional changes should be implemented as soon as possible to prevent food insecurity in the face of input constraints

Macro Dynamic Nitrogen balance model of a Farming System (MacDyN-FS) - Code and input data used in Pinsard and Accatino (2024)

Model Python code and input data used in Pinsard and Accatino (2024) "Crop-livestock compositional changes maximising food while minimising synthetic fertilizer use and feed import for three French farming system types". The model is a macro dynamic nitrogen balance model of a farming system (MacDyN-FS), adapted from Pinsard et al. (2021) with a greenhouse gas (GHG) balance sub model and a herd dynamics for cattle. The model was used to (1) explore the trade-offs between FS objectives linked to input autonomy for three distinct types of French FSs: maximising the animal- and crop-sourced food productions, and minimising the feed import and the use of synthetic fertiliser (the levers considered were changes in crop-livestock composition), and (2) explore the set of changes in crop-livestock composition that would maximise the total food production while minimising the use or import of inputs

Proceedings of the XXI International Nitrogen Workshop. Halving nitrogen waste by 2030 24th – 28th October 2022

Este libro de resúmenes incluye los resúmenes de las cerca de 300 comunicaciones presentadas en el XXI International Nitrogen Workshop. El congreso se celebró en la Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingeniería Agronómica, Alimentaria y de Biosistemas de la Universidad Politécncia de Madrid los días 24 a 28 de octubre. Reunión a más de 300 especialistas con el objetivo de compartir nuevos conocimientos científicos que permitan reducir a la mitad el desperdicio de nitrógeno para 2030

Integrated Assessment of the Sustainability and Resilience of Farming Systems : Lessons from the Past and Ways Forward for the Future

This chapter assessed sustainability and resilience of eleven farming systems in their current situation, as well as in hypothetical future systems, using qualitative and quantitative methods. The assessment shows that current farming systems address sustainability dimensions in an unbalanced way and are characterized by poor resilience. Future resilient systems are imagined to promote environmental and social functions in the long term