Agroecological transition corresponds to a systemic transformation consisting in the ecologisation of agriculture and food. It concerns multiple stakeholders (farmers, supply chains, natural resource managers, etc.) and is characterised by a deliberate political intention to bring about change. This chapter highlights a set of determinants of agroecological transition at play in transforming the techniques and the values underpinning both agricultural production and food consumption choices – both of which can lead to various new agri-food systems. Based on the literature on transition studies, we focus on several considerations that could help stakeholders to better engage in such a process: (i) transition takes place over time intervals that vary, depending on the analysis scale (the farm or the agri-food system as a whole); (ii) transition is complex, systemic and requires changes of the whole sociotechnical regime; (iii) transition implies strong connections between niche-innovations and the dominant sociotechnical regime; and (iv) changes in values and individuals’ abilities are fundamental drivers. Hence, by focusing on the plurality of factors and stakeholders at work, we unpack the complexity of this transition, and in this way help the stakeholders to design and execute it. To conclude, we examine specific issues around the governance of agroecological transition.

Stakeholders from academic, political, and social spheres encourage the development of more sustainable forms of agriculture. Given its scale and scope, the sustainability transition is a challenge to the entire agricultural sector. The main question is, how to support the transition process? In this article, we explore how agricultural science can address the sustainability transition of farming systems to understand and support transition processes. We discuss the potential for articulating three research approaches: comprehensive analysis, co-design, and simulation modeling. Comprehensive analysis of the sustainability transition provides perspectives on the interplay between resources, resource management, and related performances of farming systems on the one hand and technical, economic, and sociocultural dimensions of change on the other. Co-design of the sustainability transition stimulates local-scale transition experiments in the real world and identification of alternatives for change. Simulation modeling explores future-oriented scenarios of management at multiple levels and assesses their impacts. We illustrate the articulation of research approaches with two examples of research applied to agricultural water management and autonomy in crop-livestock systems. The resulting conceptual framework is the first one developed to organize research to understand and support the sustainability transition of farming systems.

Organic mixed livestock farming offers a range of potential benefits for the environment. Due to the diversification of enterprises, this farming system can be associated with a high workload, which means that it could be socially unsustainable. The aim of this study was to understand and explain work satisfaction of farmers running an organic mixed livestock farm. Using a mixed-method approach, quantitative and qualitative data were collected from 102 farmers in seven European countries during face-to-face interviews. We showed for the first time that across Europe and different animal species and category combinations, organic mixed livestock farms can provide a high work satisfaction, despite a high workload. By using a mixed-method approach and a clear framework, we aimed at better understanding work satisfaction. Underlying reasons for work satisfaction included the diversity of tasks, opportunities to learn, autonomy in the work schedule, perceived acknowledgement by consumers, and the contribution to sustainable food production. Factors contributing to work satisfaction identified in the analysis of quantitative data included workload, number of livestock units, mental complexity, proportion of work peaks per year, and the match between wanted free time and time taken off work. The combination of qualitative and quantitative data allowed a deeper understanding of farmers’ work satisfaction and revealed consistent findings. Future research should investigate the relationship between farmers’ work satisfaction and capacity for innovation, flexibility, and adaptation potential.

La biodiversité, et en particulier la diversité animale que l’éleveur choisit d’élever, est présentée comme un levier prometteur pour la transition agroécologique et la résilience des systèmes d’élevage. Or, les travaux traitant de cette question sont peu nombreux, récents et épars. Cet article vise à développer un cadre conceptuel pour analyser de manière intégrée la diversité animale et ses modalités de gestion à l’échelle des systèmes d’élevage et à proposer des pistes de recherche pour y contribuer. Ce cadre est structuré en quatre composantes : i) les formes que recouvre la diversité animale, ii) les niveaux organisationnel et temporel auxquels elle se construit et s’exprime, iii) ses modes de gestion et iv) les bénéfices retirés par l’éleveur. Quatre études de recherche contrastées en termes de diversité animale analysée ont été revisitées au travers du cadre conceptuel proposé. Leur relecture et leur analyse transversale montrent l’intérêt d’articuler les quatre composantes du cadre pour raisonner de manière intégrée la gestion de la diversité animale en élevage afin d’en tirer parti sur le long terme. Elles permettent aussi d’identifier trois fronts de recherche à investiguer conjointement : affiner la caractérisation de la diversité animale en élevage, mieux caractériser ses modes de gestion y compris ses déterminants et approfondir l’évaluation des différents bénéfices retirés de sa gestion. Des pistes d’utilisation du cadre en recherche, en enseignement et dans conseil en élevage sont enfin proposées.

The growing interest in rotational crossbreeding in Western countries is due to its potential to improve reproductive and health performances of cows. Although a large amount of research focuses on assessing crossbred cows’ performances, how to manage the transition from purebred to rotational crossbred herds is under-explored. Based on a retrospective analysis of French dairy herd case studies, we aimed to identify and characterise technical pathways to make such a transition. In 2018, we performed semi-directive interviews on 26 commercial dairy farms. Data were collected to describe changes in breeding, replacement and culling management practices from the first crossbred mating with purebred cows to the management of a mainly crossbred herd in 2018. Based on a multivariate analysis, we identified two main guidelines structuring technical pathways to move towards rotational crossbred herds: (i) the depth and scale of change (i.e. farm v. herd) associated with the introduction of rotational crossbreeding in the whole-farm dynamics and (ii) the changes in herd replacement and breeding practices to adapt to the evolution of herd demographics induced by the evolution of the dairy crossbred mating rate over time (high from the beginning v. distributed over time). Hierarchical clustering discriminated three groups of farmers differing in their technical pathway to move towards a rotational crossbred herd. In pathway 1, farmers customised one or several rotational crossbreeding schemes to support whole-farm transition towards an organic or grass-based system. Once the scheme stabilised, they quickly implemented it and had to readjust replacement and culling practices to regulate imbalance in herd demographics induced by the improvement in cow fertility. In pathway 2, farmers also customised one or several rotational crossbreeding schemes to support whole-farm redesign but they implemented it more gradually in the herd, which induced no major imbalance in herd demographics. In pathway 3, farmers predefined a relatively well-known rotational crossbreeding scheme to correct fertility issues of purebred cows without any changes at the farm level. They implemented it quickly from the beginning and had to adapt herd replacement and culling to regulate imbalance in herd demographics induced by the improvement in cow fertility. These first empirical evidences on how dairy farmers manage the transition from a purebred to rotational crossbred herd provide original scientific and operational contributions.