Livestock and Local Development interactions and the ecological intensification – MOUVE

MOUVE is is a research consortium integrated by INRA, CIRAD and Cemagref researchers in partnership with universities and research centres in Developing Countries. The purpose of the project is to produce knowledge to understand, model and summarize the necessary implantation and development conditions of Ecological Intensification (EI), and its possible implications in livestock farming systems at the local level. It aims at contributing to the scientific domain of "local development – livestock " interactions in relation with the ecological intensification and sustainable development. Livestock farming systems approaches, sociology of professions, landscape ecology and geography are the main scientific domains contributing to the pluridisciplinary of the project.

From a methodological point of view, MOUVE will develop comparative analysis of 8 contrasting extensive livestock farming regions (2 in South America, 1 in African Sahel, 2 in Mediterranean basins, 3 in French mountains). The contrasts rely on i) landscape (rangeland or a mix with crops and forest); ii) livestock production stakes in relation to production or environment,; and iii) livestock dynamics (increasing or decreasing numbers, relocation).

The project will treat simultaneously
1) what are the local stakeholders attempts in relation to livestock and sustainable development in times of ecological intensification. This will mobilize participatory methods, and will help to precise how EI is re- formulated at that local scale.
2 ) what are the characteristics of the "livestock – local development" interactions considering i) the diversity and complementarities of livestock farms, ii) the land use and the ecosystem services, iii) related people debates on what is a good farmer facing times of changes and uncertainties ;
3) the development conditions for livestock farming changes and collective initiatives that fits with EI, and the consequences on the ecosystems and farmers identities.
4) Scenarios methodologies will be utilised to integrate the knowledge with local actors’ one.

Our final aim is to produce knowledge and development indicators at the local level to discuss the future of livestock and livestock farming within international arenas, such as FAO, LEAD (Livestock Environment and Development Group).