Ecological intensification prospects of fodder services provided by pastures of French mountains. A comparative analysis

A comparative analysis of the forage services provided by pastures to farms was conducted in 3 mountainous regions (Bigorre, Livradois, and Vercors). It permitted an evaluation of the remaining margins for intensifying agricultural production in an agroecological context. Using identical or comparable methods, management practices and plant community composition were described for around 100 pastures, which were compared using reference models. Among the study regions, fields demonstrated differences in productivity, utilisation, and optimum harvesting dates, which reflected differences in production systems. The ratio between observed utilisation and maximum potential utilisation made it possible to gauge current and potential future levels of ecological intensification. The models were used to evaluate the long-term sustainability of the different practices being used to manage.these pastures.