Is multifunctionality the future of mountain pastoralism? Lessons from the management of semi-natural grasslands in the Pyrenees

Abstract

Land abandonment is pervasive in mountainous Europe. In the present situation of price-cost squeeze on pastoral households and general shift in the role of farming, the development of farming abandonment risk regions is generally associated with adoption of new multifunctional rural development strategies, such as farm tourism, which in the end entail less time being devoted to farming practices. We explored the effects of such developmental scheme on the preservation of semi-natural grasslands, in particular, and on the sustainability of mountain pastoralism, in general. While the effects on the preservation of semi-natural grasslands of full abandonment have been extensively explored, this is not the case of partial abandonment. Results showed that the adoption of simplified and low-cost management regimes, associated with partial abandonment and the increased adoption of part-time farming, immerses semi-natural grasslands in processes of secondary succession that undermine both their conservation and pastoral functions. This points the need for caution when endorsing multifunctional developmental schemes in farming abandonment risk regions, particularly when those imply less labor being devoted to pastoral practices. In conclusion, we stress that in farming abandonment risk regions it is possible to guarantee both viable pastoralism and diversified rural economy. However, it is necessary to implement developmental strategies that are centered on stimulating synergies between pastoralism and other economic activities, rather than promoting activities that depend on additional farmers' polyvalence.Additional key words: land abandonment; diversification; rural development; Arrhenatherion elatioris. Abbreviations used: CCA (canonical correspondence analysis). Citation: López-i-Gelats, F.; Rivera-Ferre, M. G.; Madruga-Andreu, C.; Bartolomé Filella, J. (2015). Is multifunctionality the future of mountain pastoralism? Lessons from the management of semi-natural grasslands in the Pyrenees.

Is the increase of scale in the tropics a pathway to smallholders? Dimension and ecological zone effect on the mixed crop-livestock farms

“…Oosting et al (2014) recommend increasing the production and shift from rural to urban market and Cuevas- Reyes et al (2013) highlight that the clustering and a major organization of smallholders could be an access to a pathway of higher added value. Beuchelt et al (2015) suggest developing low-cost sustainable technologies on crop residues and López-i- Gelats et al (2015) recommended the adoption of new multifunctional rural development strategies.…”

Influence of Agropastoral System Components on Mountain Grassland Vulnerability Estimated by Connectivity Loss

“…The economic component affected CL-WE; the most expensive SPUs had the fewest problems with woody encroachment, possibly, because these pastures were the most productive and the highest pressure of livestock actively grazing these areas would have slowed woody encroachment. In addition, CL-WE was associated with the reduction in agropastoralism between the 1930s and the 1980s and the increase in part-time farming, which led to the partial abandonment of the grasslands [ 34 , 90 ]. Even so, the social component, especially the reduction in the human population since the 1930s, was not directly correlated with CL-WE at the SPU level.…”

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How Authenticity and Tradition Shift into Sustainability and Innovation: Evidence from Italian Agritourism

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