Context
After an important phase of increase of the organic products demand, in link to their apparition in super-market and to the successive crises in the agri–food sector during the 90th’s, organic production sector is, today, in a consolidation phase. This is an opportunity to collectively, and for the long term, construct articulated and innovating systems of production, management and consumption. These systems, even if construct within the dominant referential, are the occasion to question it.In the situation, system sustainability is considered as the “capacity, for agro-food actors networks, to take into account, in the long term, modifications in their activities environment : social, economical, ecological modifications. The sustainability is not a desirable state, that must be defined, validated and reached, but a transformation capacity that must be characterized : itinerary to be experimented, amplification conditions, efficiency criteria, …
As they express some tensions, and so some transformation potential throughout a collective action, cattle meat and organic farming sectors have been chosen to get into the wide question of sustainable development.. Indeed, cattle meat is, in particular in Belgium, a problematic food-stuff (health, animal welfare, environment, food security) carrying some tensions between the market, the consumers and the citizens. On its side, organic farming is based on different principles coming from producers – consumers interactions. Their transposition in food-chain, short or long but always in link to the dominant referential, leads to tensions illustrated by the strong discussions in connection to organic farming rules (derogations, …) defined at the regional, national or European levels. Deeply, such tensions are expressed in the set up, by the different operators, of strategies to circumvent these rules linked to organic farming (feedstuffs, health, welfare, ..) or to the global (environmental norms, tracability, …) referential.
Objectives
This project wants to reach two types of objectives :1)To test, with the actors of the chain, some new management schemes, new technical and knowledge orientations in articulated and coherent systems of production, transformation, distribution and consumption. This in setting up the conditions that will allow the exploration of new referential evaluated, from their sustainability dimensions, by the research team.
2)To define, to experiment and to precise, in a multidisciplinary approach, a research-action methodology that will allow the co-construction of the aspects to be investigated and the production, throughout intervention in the learning process and in the relations existing between the different actors engaged in the collective action, of applied and scientific knowledge.
Expected results
If the methodological bases of the research-action are known, nor the way taken by the intervention neither the results could be pre-programmed. However, at this stage, we can say that two types of results, co – generated, are expected.The referentials and their sustainability
Conventional referential
The intervention on the emergence place of new referential for cattle meat production, marketing and consumption will allow to define the functioning, the value and the knowledge of the existing, stabilized and unquestioned referential. This will allow to define the transformation potential existing within and at the margin of this stabilized referential.
Emerging referential
Through the interaction with the actors at high tension points; to say where the confrontation between referential is explicitly or implicitly expressed; as at low tension points; to say where there isn’t confrontation but assimilation and ignorance, searchers will have to precise the learning process that will allow new references elaboration. So, how, through competencies and relation redistribution, with a vision as wide as possible of the apprehended world, new knowledge can be formulated, validated and become accessible. On the agricultural plan, interventions have been performed on gastro-intestinal parasite, grassland and animal complementation management. On the sociological plan, investigations focus on the organization mode, on the negotiation process and on the introduction of the consumers in the process.
Evaluation and methodological attainments
Performance criteria, allowing an evaluation of the research results, are not pre-determined but must be explicated at the end of the intervention. The adopted methodology has also to be well defined at the end of the intervention. Before we don’t know, during the intervention the interaction between the actors and the cross learning lead the searcher in its methodology, after, a come back on ‘what had happened’ allow a better definition of the rules and a confirmation of the principles.
Results obtained
Under analysis and redaction.Contribution
In this multidisciplinary approach (sociology, economy and agronomy), CRA-W contribution lies at the level of organic farming system analysis throughout the relation between farmer, grassland, fodder crops and livestock. The system of production is considered in complete interaction with its corresponding agro-food chain. The social environment and the environmental externalities are considered as production of these systems.During two cultural seasons, breeder knowledge, young bulls and heifers performances, grassland and crops productions have been recorded with a special attention for animal sanitary status (parasitic pressure) and behavior, for plant biodiversity, for sward structure and for the environmental pressure of the system.
Partners
ULg-Socio-Economie, Environnement et Développement (SEED) : M. Mormont and P. Stassart (Coordination).Universiteit Gent - Vakgroep Landboweconomie : G. Van Huylenbroeck and J. Aetsens.
Thirteen cattle breeders take part to the research. They have been chosen for the diversity of their exploitation structure, of their perception and engagement face to organic farming rules.
CRAW off coordinator
Dr. Marc Mormont et Dr. Pierre StassartULg-Socio-Economie Environnement (SEED)
Avenue de Longwy, 185
B-6700 Arlon
Tél. : ++32 63 230 861
Fax : ++ 32 63 230 818
Email : mormont@ful.ac.be, stassart@ful.ac.be
Funding
- Federal Scientific Policy - PADD II
