How to fear farming system sustainability ? Application to organic cattle meat production

Summary

Following different crises, involving agricultural systems, either in terms of environmental pressure or of food quality and safety, an increasing need for farming system sustainability evaluation has been highlighted. How, from the research point of view, to evaluate such sustainability ? What is the methodology to mobilise ?
First approaches have developed sustainability indicators to quantify the fluxes existing between the farming systems and their economical, environmental or social surroundings. However, these indicators are difficult to aggregate: each farming system is unique, so it is difficult to define reference values to reach, whatever the farm type. Such indicators are of value when they allow farmers to become aware of the impact of their practices and of the improvement that could be expected following their modification
An alternative, to articulate system externalities with farmer practices and schemes, is to shift from eco-centred research posture, wanting to model systems diversity and complexity, to holistic approach with the mobilisation of ‘research-intervention’ methodology. In such posture, the researcher implies himself in the collective action. However the key issue is the reflexivity between these research approaches : research intervention allows to identify possible solutions to be validated in eco- or techno-centred approaches. Once validated these solutions, shared with the actors, are easily accepted