Agroforestry in Dairy Cattle Farming

Three Main
Missions: Promoting Knowledge About the Region’s
Biodiversity. This mission involves establishing and coordinating the Occitanie Regional Biodiversity Observatory, as well as developing and disseminating communication materials to help the general public and elected officials better understand biodiversity issues.

Networking biodiversity stakeholders at the regional
level This mission aims to create and manage the regional network of natural area managers in Occitanie, as well as the regional forum for ARB stakeholders.

Supporting project
leaders Our mission is to encourage and support project leaders to promote the integration of biodiversity into social and professional practices and enable the implementation of concrete actions. To this end, a roadmap is developed collaboratively with our technical and institutional partners.

The LIFE ARTISAN
Project The LIFE ARTISAN project (Increasing Territorial Resilience to Climate Change by Promoting Nature-Based Adaptation Solutions) aims to create, over the course of eight years, the conditions for the widespread adoption of Nature-Based Solutions for climate change adaptation throughout France. It thus contributes to the implementation of France’s National Climate Change Adaptation Plan (PNACC) and Biodiversity Plan.

Supported by the efforts of 28 partners, the initiative is dedicated to:

• Demonstrating and promoting the potential of Nature-Based Adaptation Solutions (NBAS), particularly through the demonstration program comprising 10 pilot sites.
• Raising awareness and building capacity among stakeholders on this topic.
• Supporting and scaling up NbSA projects throughout the country (including overseas territories).
  Through the implementation of 40 actions, the ARTISAN Integrated LIFE Project aims to create a framework conducive to the implementation of NBS at all levels: national, regional, and local.

Case Study: La Ferme de la Borie
—Agroforestry in Dairy Cattle Farming at La Ferme de la Borie Haute.

Ferme de la Borie Haute is a dairy farm that produces Laguiole AOP cheese and has the following objectives:

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ACTION PLAN

• Late mowing of natural pastures
• Management of grazing plots: maintaining permanent vegetation cover, rotational grazing across 25 ha (grazing duration < 3 days on the same plot and adapted to grass growth, with mowed plots gradually integrated over the summer, approximately 35 ha), reducing the number of cows by about 10% and cutting back on the number of heifers raised to align the herd size with the amount of resources produced.
• Renewal of the hedgerow landscape beginning in 1991 by the farm’s previous owner. Continued planting of hedges and tree rows after taking over the farm, starting in 2017, according to a 10-year plan, featuring about fifteen different tree species
• Diversification through the planting of an orchard with 140 standard apple trees in 2020 and 2021, which will allow the herd to graze under the trees while preserving the fruit (full production expected no earlier than 2030)
• The riverbanks and the wetland identified near the pre-orchard will be fenced off to protect them from being trampled by the animals