Some definitions
What is pastoralism?
Literally, the term “pastoral” literally means “belonging to shepherds”. According to the French Association of Pastoralism (AFP), « pastoralism covers all livestock-farming activities involving extensive grazing on the spontaneous fodder resources of natural areas, to provide all or part of the animals' diet ».
On pastoral farms, herds graze on land that is often difficult to mechanize, with a wide variety of vegetation: open grassland, moorland or woodland. These areas are of great heritage and environmental value, and by grazing there, herds contribute to the conservation of environments and species, as well as landscapes and territories.
In France, pastoralism is considered to be of general interest under the Rural Code (art. L113-1 & L113-2) and to contribute to territorial identity.
And agropastoralism?
Agropastoralism is the term used when pastoralism is closely linked to the production of crops to supplement the diet with fodder and cereals grown on the farm. Traditionally, these crops were concentrated on the terraces of the Cévennes and in the dolines (mild sinkholes) of the Causses plateau.
Agropastoralism is both a traditional and a modern economic activity, encompassing a wide variety of production systems. Today, different forms of agropastoralism coexist in the Causses and Cévennes, and their impact on the landscape forms the basis of the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) that has legitimized the inclusion of the territory on UNESCO's World Heritage List.
Key figures
The inclusion of the Causses and Cévennes on the World Heritage List highlights the region's agropastoral history and vocation. Even today, this activity still plays an active role in the region. The 1,400 farms currently in operation are mainly involved in livestock production, and provide more than 2,000 jobs (Agricultural Census 2020). The livestock population is divided between sheep (140,000 head), goats (8,500 head) and cattle (8,500 head) (Agreste 2011).
Diversityof agropastoral systems
Agropastoral systems are based wholly or partly on extensive grazing. Depending on the importance of grazing land (semi-covered vegetation) in the farm's Useful Agricultural Area (UAA), a system can be described as “extensive” or “semi-intensive”. The grazing rate (the proportion of the herd's feed coming from pasture) can also vary considerably. Some herds only graze the rangelands during the dry season, while others graze all year round.
The causses are characterized by large-scale livestock structures (162 ha on average) with a predominance of dairy sheep (397 farms with an average of 372 ewes). There are also sheep-meat systems (241 farms with an average of 218 ewes). Cattle-meat herds are on the rise, often as a complementary workshop to the sheep production unit.
The various granite mountains are home to a concentration of beef cattle farms. To a lesser extent, there are also sedentary sheep-meat farms. Transhumance herds of sheep and goats also spend the summer in these areas.
In the Cévennes’ valleys and ridges, farms are smaller (23 ha on average) and more diversified. Breeders are often involved in processing and direct sales, and are developing other types of production (chestnuts, berries, perfume, aromatic and medicinal plants, vegetables), as well as other activities such as foraging and agritourism (accommodation, bed and breakfasts, farm restaurants, etc.).
20% of farms have goats as their main production unit, with an average of 52 goats. Some have a dairy system, and supply their milk to the Moissac cooperative for the production of PélardonAOP labeled cheeses. Others are called “fermiers”: the farmers transform the milk themselves into cheese or other products. 30% of farms have a sheep-meat production unit with an average of 85 ewes, 20% a beef-meat production unit and 8% have horses.
