2.2 Data
collection
2.2.1 A bibliographic approach to define
the status of the topic
Documentation on pastoral farming system is as difficult to
find, as the system is complex to manage. Much of the time, the system as
presented is with the same technique than 500 to 600 years ago. Concerning
pastoralism in Pyrenees, archives show that in the years 1400 to 1500, picking
up animals where only at home in the evening. They show, however, what to avoid
in this system: shepherds invaded had right legally to grab livestock until the
payment of a penalty. It remains between 1500 and 1900 in a
«escabots» system, no herds, less than 150 animals per shepherd. Is a
form of grazing, both fragmented but covering the entire territory, very old
(over half a millennium), which has truly "created" eco-agrosystem that are the
Pyrenees mountains and the richness of their vegetation up to high altitude.
Introduce changes, by other ways to keep the beast
Pamiers Subdivision
= Couserans « country »
= Pyrénées
Cathares« country »
= Portes d'Ariège-Pyrénées
« country »
= Foix Haute Ariège
« country »
+ = Sor
++ = Barjac
= Larcat
= Verdun
= Ascou
= Les Cabannes
St Girons
Saint-Girons Subdivision
Aston
Bordes-sur-Lez
Soueix
Foix
Subdivision
Foix Subdivision
Note: No MSP in the underlined towns.
Figure 1: Geographical dispersion of breeders
investigated
(adapted from Ariège villages map.
Ariège Prefecture, 2005)
would in fact destroy the way this environment has established
and maintained (...) and even that environment (B. Besche-Commenge, 2008).
2.2.2 Field surveys
Comprehensive approaches of practices developed in
socio-anthropology believe that the meaning of these practices is not a
priori given and unambiguous. Collection of information directly or
through surveys on the physical realization of a practice does not lead to
identify the meaning of things. But it is possible to get the sense, through
the analysis of what farmers say. This meaning can be inferred from the
descriptions of farmers because in them, "they do not tell the truth of things,
but the truth of their relationship to things" (Darré, 1999). Thus, in
order to characterize the meaning of diversity and transformation of farmers'
practices, it is important to identify concepts in their movement and not
isolate the concepts of a farmer in his social position (...).
In order to have diversified points of view, alternatives to
constraints and production perspectives, I interviewed breeders of plateau,
mountain, High Mountain, hillside, for and against pastoral cohabitation with
the preference of sheep farming which is more sensible to predation. Even
though in the real situation, more than 90% of breeders are against to
cohabitation, I interviewed 7 breeders against the cohabitation, 6 breeders in
favour, 2 shepherds and 2 managers of pastoral group. I used the semi-directive
conversation's method for information collection.
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