Farmers’ management strategies and land use in an agropastoral landscape: roquefort cheese production rules as a driver of change

Abstract

Cultural landscapes in Europe provide a wide range of food products and fulfil social and environmental functions. In order to maintain agricultural practices that contribute to maintaining the biological and cultural value of semi-natural landscapes, agri-environmental schemes are being implemented in many western European countries. In the mountains of southern Europe a major issue is the encroachment of shrubs and trees through natural forest succession following agro-pastoral extensification. In this paper we analyse trends in land use strategies of sheep breeders in response to milk pricing and in relation to various within-farm mechanisms. We show that changes in production rules within the Roquefort cheese protected geographical indication have caused farmers to develop an alternative land use strategy. In this alternative model, farmers now consider rangelands as a valuable resource. By increasing the use of rangelands for sheep grazing and alimentation, this new strategy provides a more effective control of shrub and tree encroachment. We suggest that this involuntary consequence of production and market decisions has been at least as important as agri-environmental schemes in leading ewes’ milk producers to make changes in their land use strategy.