Gascouat, P.

Girard, N.

Lassalle, D.

Magda, D.

English

University of Kentucky

University of Kentucky UKnowledge International Grassland Congress Proceedings 21st International Grassland Congress / 8th International Rangeland Congress Combining Agroecological Knowledge and Empirical Knowing to Build Pastoral Management Guidelines within Multipurpose Land Use D. Magda INRA, France N. Girardet INRA, France P. Gascouat Lycée Agricole d'Oloron, France D. Lassalle Lycée Agricole d'Oloron, France Follow this and additional works at: https://uknowledge.uky.edu/igc  Part of the Plant Sciences Commons, and the Soil Science Commons This document is available at https://uknowledge.uky.edu/igc/21/4-1/21 The 21st International Grassland Congress / 8th International Rangeland Congress took place in Hohhot, China from June 29 through July 5, 2008. Proceedings edited by Organizing Committee of 2008 IGC/IRC Conference Published by Guangdong People's Publishing House This Event is brought to you for free and open access by the Plant and Soil Sciences at UKnowledge. It has been accepted for inclusion in International Grassland Congress Proceedings by an authorized administrator of UKnowledge. For more information, please contact UKnowledge@lsv.uky.edu. 　 Multifunctional Grasslands in a Changing World 　 Volume Ⅰ 　 瞯 ]579　 瞯Grasslands/Rangelands Resources and Ecology ——— Indicators for Sustainable Use and Conservation of Grasslands/Rangelands ResourcesCombining agroecological knowledge and empirical knowing to build pastoral managementguidelines within multipurpose land useD . Magda1 , N . Girard1 , P . Gascouat2 and D . L assalle21 INRA , UMR 1248 AG IR , B .P . 52627 , 31326 Castanet Tolosan , France . E‐mail : magda＠ toulouse .inra .f r2 L yc砪e A gricole d摧Oloron , Quartier Soeix , BP 144 , 64400 Oloron Sainte Marie , FRA NCEKey words : pastoral resources , rangelands , agropastoral diagnosis , agroecological knowledge , knowingIntroduction Whereas many technical references on grazing management of permanent grasslands exist , operational knowledgefor rangeland management is scarce . For this reason , rangeland extension agents take available knowledge and transpose it tomore complex rangeland vegetation , for which it is no longer valid . The objective of this paper is to investigate how thesepractitioners face this lack of specific knowledge for rangeland management and adapt existing knowledge to their own knowing( Cook and Brown , １９９９) .Materials and methods We took a knowledge engineering approach ( McGraw and Harbison‐Briggs , １９８９ ) , that is , an activityconsisting of eliciting and modelling knowledge currently in use , which is mainly tacit ( Nonaka , １９９１) , i .e . ,�highly personal[ . . .] hard to f ormaliz e and , there f ore , di f f icult to communicate to others" . We analysed the reasoning process of pastoraldiagnosis in a case study of a land‐use project in the Western Pyrenees . For that purpose , we conducted semi‐structuredinterviews with the practitioner and analysed methodological documents ( technical and scientific literature ) as well asdocuments produced by the practitioner related to his own diagnosis of several pastoral areas .Results Our results show that the pastoral extensionist combines scientific agroecological knowledge ( agronomy andphytosociology ) and empirical knowing ( from himself , other extensionists and from livestock farmers using these areas) . Thiscombination appears at different stages in his approach ( Figure １) , f rom the zoning of physiognomic types to the building of amap of resource potentialities for livestock feeding .　 Figure 1 Reasoning p rocess f or p astoral diagnosis .On the le f t , the main diagnosis step ; on the right , theagroecological know ledge ( in bold type ) and know ing ( initalics) used .Pastoral Value ( PV) (Daget and Poissonet , １９７２ ) is used asa key concept in his approach , but after being assessed fromgeneric tables , it is twice re‐evaluated with : ( i ) hisexperience of other similar ecofacies , integrating theiraccessibility into their PV ; ( ii ) interactions with livestockfarmers and their own categorisations of these areas regardingtheir use to feed their flocks (�agronomic value") .Conclusions This type of cognitive approach to the synergybetween empirical and scientific knowledge should becompleted by an analysis of the socio‐organisational settings inwhich this knowledge finds its sense meaning ( see poster ofGirard et al .) . These results also point out the necessity todevelop new qualifications of complex vegetation in rangelands( see two posters of Agreil et al .) and even to design newapproaches to build agroecological knowledge that could beboth shared and �actionable" . In keeping with Russel andIson ( ２０００ ) , it may be seen as an opportunity to develop�contextual science " , and a first step in imagining newrelationships between research , agricultural extension andrural development .ReferencesCook SDN , Brown JS , (１９９９) . Bridging epistemologies : thegenerative dance between organizational knowledge andorganizational knowing . Organiz ation Science １０ :３８１‐４００ .Daget P , Poissonet J , (１９７２) . Un proc砪d砪 d摧estimation de lavaleur pastorale du p备turage . Fourrages , ４９ , ３１‐３９ .Mcgraw KL , Harbison‐Briggs K , (１９８９) . Knowledge acquisition : principles and guidelines , Prentice Hall .Nonaka I . , (１９９１) . A dynamic theory of organizational knowledge creation . Organiz ation Science ５ (１) ,１４‐３７ .Russel DB , Ison RL , ( ２０００ ) . The research‐development relationship in rural communities : an opportunity for contextualscience . In Ison RL , Russel DB ( ed .) A gricultural Ex tension and Rural Development : Breaking out T raditions .Cambridge University Press , １０‐３１ .Identify pastoral s atial units Identify main physionomic types Estimation of Pastoral Value by Ecofacie types Estimation of agronomic value Validation of diagnosis With farmers Farmers and shepherd knowing Radiometry _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Personal expertise (direct observations or picture) Phytoecology references (Daget and Poissonet, 1971 Adaptation of sampling method (From expert) Phytoecology references Qualitative expertise - - -(Personal experience X GEMA GREF expertise) Feed Unit for Lactation (FUL) calculations Personal database - (Resulting from direct observation of flock behaviour, topography, etc.) Simplification of agronomic quality categories from farmers knowing (estimation of the potential stocking rate with tamers) Observation of fame rs current practices On-farm experiments 

Combining Agroecological Knowledge and Empirical Knowing to Build Pastoral Management Guidelines within Multipurpose Land Use

https://uknowledge.uky.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2681&amp;context=igc

Combining Agroecological Knowledge and Empirical Knowing to Build Pastoral Management Guidelines within Multipurpose Land Use

Abstract

Similar works

Full text

Available Versions

University of Kentucky