Abstract
The huge changes in agricultural activities, which may be amplified by the forthcoming Common Agriculture Policy reform, call the future of crop-livestock systems into question and hence the impact of these changes on landscapes and biodiversity. We analyzed relationships between agriculture, landscape and biodiversity in south-western France. The study area covered about 4000 ha and included four villages. We conducted a survey of 56 farms. Multivariate analysis (multiple factor analysis and cluster analysis) were used to analyze relationships between 25 variables and to build a typology. The type of farming (beef and/or dairy cattle, cash crops), size (area and workforce) and cultivation practices, among others, were revealed as differentiating factors of farms. Six farming types were identified (1) hillside mixed crop-livestock farms, (2) large ‘corporate’ farms, (3) extensive cattle farms, (4) large intensive farms on the valley sides, (5) small multiple-job holdings, and (6) ‘hobby’ farms. The diversity of farming systems revealed the variable impact of the main drivers of change affecting agricultural development, particularly the enlargement and modernization of farms along with the demography of agricultural holdings.
Highlights
Current agricultural development in developed countries is characterized by a decrease in the number of farms, along with the enlargement of individual farms, specialization, and an increase in labor productivity
The bar plot of eigenvalues from the multiple factor analysis (MFA) global analysis shows the major contribution of the two first axes, which represent 16% and 11.2% of the inertia
Purposes have diversified thanks to the development of modeling (Valbuena et al, 2008; Vayssières et al, 2011), sustainable development issues, land-use changes and land-use planning (Alvarez-López et al, 2008; Valbuena et al, 2008) that correspond to our research framework. These typologies are often based on farm surveys that have to select a representative sample of the population to be surveyed
Summary
Current agricultural development in developed countries is characterized by a decrease in the number of farms, along with the enlargement of individual farms, specialization, and an increase in labor productivity. There was a reduction in the most complex systems, such as mixed livestock-crop systems, making way for more specialized systems (cash crops, beef or dairy cattle) (De Ravignan & Roux, 1990). These changes have had a significant impact on the landscape, with the disappearance of hedges, which were considered to be an obstacle to mechanization as well as on yields (ibid.). The resulting simplification of rural landscapes linked with the intensification of agricultural practices is the main cause of change and loss of biodiversity in Western Europe (Gaston & Fuller, 2007)
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