Dairy farmers’ adaptation strategies in uplands [Practice Abstract]
Climate change increases the vulnerability of grassland-based production systems given that it affects the annual distribution of forage production and enhances its inter-annual variability.
We carried out 15 semi-structured interviews with dairy cattle farmers in the French Massif Central in order to understand how farmers’ adaptation strategies can be explained by their climate risk appraisal, and by their perception of the values and disvalues of multi-species permanent grasslands.
Nine of the 15 farmers felt that they were already adapted to climate change or that they had a plan in place to implement new adaptations in the future. They showed straightforward relationships between perceptions of permanent grasslands and adaptation strategies.
These strategies, however, varied with the geographical context of each farm. Farmers in the northern Massif Central and southern uplands highlighted the values of permanent grasslands and considered permanent grasslands central to their adaptation strategies.
Conversely, farmers in the southern, hilly areas mostly referred to the disvalues of permanent grasslands, and based their adaptation strategies on temporary grasslands and forage crops.
The six other farmers believed either that climate change posed a significant risk to their farm but foresaw little room to manoeuvre, or did not intend to adapt. Their reasoning stemmed from either a fatalistic mind-set or their acknowledged desire to retire soon. Inter-generational farm transmission could indeed either block or facilitate the transition.
Extreme events could also facilitate climate-change-related adaptation. For example, two farmers in the southern, hilly area, who are basing their adaptation strategy on crop rotations and fodder trees, changed their land use after the extreme drought event that happened in most parts of Europe in summer 2003. The direct experience of natural hazards increased their risk perception and consequently led them to adapt.
Keywords: Biodiversity, Climate change, Livestock
Country: France
