Conversion to organic farming decreases the vulnerability of dairy farms

Abstract

In the context of the European crisis in conventional milk production, conventional farms potentially dissimilar to organic farming models are converting to organic. This raises the issue of farm vulnerability during and after this conversion, i.e. the farm's ability to respond to the effects of technical, climatic and economic risks. Our objective was to show whether and how dairy farm vulnerability can decrease during and after conversion to organic farming. We surveyed a sample of 12 dairy farms in Brittany, France, from 2008 (their last year conventional) to 2013. Our method considered farm vulnerability a function of the initial level of and trend in farm self-sufficient milk productivity, economic efficiency, net profitability per worker and independence from European common agricultural policy (CAP) subsidies. We related these vulnerability variables to explanatory variables that illustrated farm exposure to climatic and economic variability and farming practices. The results show that nearly all farms improved their economic efficiency (11/12), about two thirds improved their self-sufficient milk productivity (8/12) and profitability per worker (7/12), and half improved their independence from CAP subsidies (6/12). Farms had diverse vulnerability patterns, with trade-offs between the initial situation and the trend followed during the conversion, and among vulnerability variables. We identified two main adaptation strategies: (i) pasture-based farms that were similar to organic farming models when conventional and that did not change much during the conversion, and (ii) farms based on maize and feed concentrates when conventional that drastically changed. The latter farms had the greatest decrease in vulnerability and improved their self-sufficient milk productivity, profitability per worker, economic efficiency and independence from CAP subsidies. Overall, variability in climatic and economic conditions had less influence on vulnerability than farming practices. Here, we showed for the first time that changing farming practices by converting to organic farming can be a powerful mechanism for reducing farm vulnerability.

Conversion to organic farming increases dairy farmers’ satisfaction independently of the strategies implemented

“…In the present study like in the previous one, all the conversion strategies observed were oriented towards pasture-based grazing systems and a reduction in land use and herd management intensities; however, the initial situation and the degree of change during the conversion revealed two strategies. Those results agree with Bouttes et al (2019), who identified these two types of strategies. The farms initially dissimilar to organic farming models from the point of view of farming practices transformed their farming systems to increase autonomy in animal feeding and other aspects (e.g.…”

“…This was the first study that tried to relate the evolution of farmers' satisfaction during the regulatory duration of the conversion to organic farming and the conversion strategies implemented with a focus on changes in farming practices. Overall, our results show that transitioning to pasture-based grazing systems and reducing land use and herd management intensities are satisfactory answers against the increasingly uncertain and changing agricultural production context, as already shown in the organic (Bouttes et al 2019) and conventional sectors (Coquil et al 2014;Lebacq et al 2015). However, due to the similarity in the farmers' strategies observed at the end of the conversion, with all farms converging towards pasture-based grazing systems and a reduction in land use and herd management intensities, our analysis did not distinguish relations between the strategies and satisfaction clusters identified; i.e.…”

“…Only one study (Bouttes et al 2019) had previously characterised the evolution of farming practices during a conversion to organic in dairy farming based on a 5-year survey of dairy farms in Brittany, France, from their last year of conventional farming up to 2 years following the conversion. In the present study like in the previous one, all the conversion strategies observed were oriented towards pasture-based grazing systems and a reduction in land use and herd management intensities; however, the initial situation and the degree of change during the conversion revealed two strategies.…”

Mobilizing Ecological Processes for Herbivore Production: Farmers and Researchers Learning Together

“…In addition, grassland-based systems provide a wide range of ecosystem services (Rodríguez-Ortega et al, 2014), including unique cultural services such as landscape aesthetics, gastronomic heritage, and educational and spiritual experiences (Oteros-Rozas et al, 2014;Huber and Finger, 2020). Grasslandbased agroecological (Dumont et al, 2013(Dumont et al, , 2020Duru and Therond, 2015) and organic (Bouttes et al, 2019) farming systems are thus expected not only to reduce the external inputs required for meat and milk production, including soybeans and corn for animal feeds, mineral fertilizers, and energy, but also to provide a more balanced portfolio of ecosystem services than intensive production areas (Foley et al, 2005;Dumont et al, 2019). This, however, requires adequate management of herds and grasslands.…”

Applications of artificial neural networks in three agro-environmental systems: microalgae production, nutritional characterization of soils and meteorological variables management

“…Adopting other productive practices and technologies, such as more organic farming, can be a powerful mechanism for reducing farm vulnerability (Bouttes et al, 2019). The adoption of alternative techniques requires interdisciplinary efforts to identify real options (Bommarco et al, 2012).…”