Pastoral Husbandry in Ariège: Animal Vulnerability on Rangelands, Adaptations to Accompaniment Measures of the Brown Bear (Ursus artos) Reintroduction and Conservation Plan in French Pyrenees 2006-2009 and Farming System evolutions

3.1.2 Farming system typology

Before the surveys, I thought about geographic situation and predation status as the principal diversifying factors. While doing surveys I realised that the origin of breeder, legal status of farm, the number of activities and products and presence of PLA were other potential factors to diversification. Finally surveys revealed that wherever your farm is located, whatever legal status your farm is, whatever you are stranger or neo-rural or not, the environment and its collective management system^15(*) will rapidly change your thought. However, presence of PLA and numbers of farm activities/products were the only factors of diversification. Predation status settles pastoral cohabitation behaviours.

3.1.2.1 Production systems according to animal mobility

Animal itinerary during a production's year have give rise to a number of sub systems. We noted that for farmers without either intermediary zone or PLA near their exploitation, movement was: farm-MSP-farm. This strengthens their opposition to cohabitation and reduces their production alternatives and perspectives. In addition to this, non-diversification was enforced by the marital status of farmer, quotas and the number of farmers in the village. For farmers with IZ and/or PLA, movement was: farm-IZ-MSP-IZ-farm, with IZ providing up to ¼ of the total grazing time of the year. This relatively gives right to a certain level of alternatives and perspectives even if mountain lands are much of the time not suitable for mechanization. Then distinction is made between farms without both IZ and PLA, farms without IZ but with PLA, farms with IZ and without PLA and, farms with IZ and PLA.

3.1.2.2 Production systems according to geographic localisation of the farm

Because of different slopping context of plateau, hillside and mountain, there were relatively more mechanized plots in hillside and plateau farms than in mountain farm. This gives right to diversified products («finished lambs», beef) and productions (fat liver, pork butcher's shop) for the farm. Then I distinguished hillside farms from plateau farms and mountain farms (with High Mountain, mountain and Low Mountain as sub variations).

3.1.2.3 Productions systems according to diversification

Up to 99% of farms of Ariège's mountain zone are diversified^16(*). This is due to the extreme economic precariousness and the fragile equilibrium of these farms^17(*). In addition to other biophysic constraints, administrative constraint is one that is often neglected. Because of quotas, which give right to AEGS, some farms cannot keep many species especially sheep farms. Generally, we have noticed sheep farms keeping cattle, pigs and horses; doing country gîte, forest activities, agro-tourism activities and salaried employee.

* ¹⁵ This is here considered as the only suitable way to well keep the beast and the sustainable way to do it.

* ¹⁶ This is in accordance with the conclusion made by Eychenne (2003a) through the analysis of the evolution of the agriculture of the last 30 years (Agreste, RA 2000) for who in great difficulty, agriculture can only survive thanks to subsidies and development of multi-activity.

* ¹⁷ Here, we are of course on equilibriums, but most fragile equilibriums which can fall over rapidly; for a health or epidemic problem all can capsize (discussion 1; May 15^th 2006)