Sustainability assessment of organic arable cropping systems of the French Midi-Pyrenees region

Abstract

Sustainability assessment of organic arable cropping systems of the French Midi-Pyrenees region: Assessing the diversity of sustainability performances of cropping systems in a given regional context is interesting for several reasons, whether for public decision-making or advice to farmers. This article presents a multicriteria analysis of organic arable cropping systems in the Midi-Pyrenees region of France. The work, performed with a group of extension agents, required adapting a generic assessment model (MASC) to the particular characteristics of organic systems. Forty-four cropping systems from 19 farms were assessed. The indicators of economic, social and agronomic sustainability show high variability. The economic dimension is the most difficult to secure, since profitability is scored low and economic autonomy is scored medium or low in most cases. The agronomic dimension is frequently considered medium but also rather low in one out of five cases. Problems are associated mainly with nutrient management at the crop-rotation scale. Higher scores are observed for the environmental dimension, even if weak points were identified regarding the use of energy and water resources or the risk of nitrate leaching. Social acceptability scores better for farmers than for society as a whole, given the frequent low production levels of organic cropping systems and their small contribution to local employment. The comparison of irrigated and non-irrigated systems shows that the level of intensification chosen by farmers influences the performance profile of their cropping systems. Irrigated systems have higher economic performance but lower agronomic and environmental performances. In both cases, poor crop productivity levels observed for some systems may impinge on their overall sustainability.