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Environmental assessment of mountain grassland farms with mixed cattle systems: use of bioeconomic simulations

DIAKITE, Zakary R.; MOSNIER, Claire.; BRUNSCHWIG, Gilles.; CORSON, Michael S. and BAUMONT, René. (2023) Environmental assessment of mountain grassland farms with mixed cattle systems: use of bioeconomic simulations. Environmental and Sustainability Indicators, 19, x-100259.

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Document available online at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indic.2023.100259


Summary

Management practices of cattle farming systems must be improved, particularly to increase the systems’ feed self-sufficiency, food production and environmental performances. In mountain areas of the Massif Central (central France), mixed dairy/suckler cattle systems enable farmers to use grassland resources better and cope with economic fluctuations.
Our objective was to estimate levels of ecosystem services provided by mixed dairy/suckler cattle systems as a function of the degree of mixing, along with their greenhouse gas emissions and energy use when their operation is optimized on an economic basis. The hypothesis was that mixed dairy/suckler cattle systems allow for controlled use of biomass, with better environmental performances than specialized systems (pure dairy or suckler herd) by maintaining grassland ecosystem services. Five herd-distribution scenarios were simulated using the Orfee bioeconomic optimization model. Environmental performances of the five systems were assessed according to three functional units (i.e., per farm, ha and kg protein produced).
Mixed dairy/suckler cattle systems, which enabled larger herds, had higher greenhouse gas emissions per ha than specialized systems. However, because dairy cows produce more protein (milk and beef) than suckler cows, specialized dairy systems had the lowest greenhouse gas emissions and energy use per kg of protein. Specialized dairy systems had less advantage when dairy cows had less access to grassland. For the production of both milk and beef, mixed dairy/suckler cattle systems favour more sustainable use of biomass and tend to maintain a better combination of levels of ecosystem services for livestock production than specialized cattle farming systems.


EPrint Type:Journal paper
Keywords:bioeconomic optimization, mixed dairy/suckler cattle herds, ecosystem services, greenhouse gas emissions, grassland typology
Agrovoc keywords:
Language
Value
URI
English
bioeconomic models
http://aims.fao.org/aos/agrovoc/c_fd616063
English
optimization methods
http://aims.fao.org/aos/agrovoc/c_5372
English
greenhouse gas emissions
http://aims.fao.org/aos/agrovoc/c_36198c2c
English
ecosystem services
http://aims.fao.org/aos/agrovoc/c_1348040570280
English
environmental management
http://aims.fao.org/aos/agrovoc/c_37875
Subjects: Farming Systems > Farm economics
Farming Systems
Crop husbandry > Greenhouses and coverings
Environmental aspects > Biodiversity and ecosystem services
Environmental aspects
Research affiliation: France > VetAgroSup
France > INRAe - Institut national de recherche pour l’agriculture, l’alimentation et l’environnement
ISSN:2665-9727
DOI:10.1016/j.indic.2023.100259
Deposited By: Diakité, Dr Z.R.
ID Code:46123
Deposited On:30 May 2023 09:23
Last Modified:30 May 2023 09:23
Document Language:English
Status:Published
Refereed:Peer-reviewed and accepted

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