Massif Central

General information

Name of region	Massif Central, France
Global Environmental Zone(s) (Metzger)	J. Cool temperate and moist
Population density (persons per km²)
Contact (general)	Gianni Bellocchi and PP Roggero
Contact (ag. scenarios)	Pier Paolo Roggero
Location (NUTS code)	FR72
Dominant regional farming system(s) (SEAMLESS nomenclature)	Beef and dairy cattle with permanent grassland
The three most important farming systems in region (SEAMLESS nomenclature)	beef and mixed cattle-permanent grass sheep&goats-others
Main crop species
Main livestock species

Regional development goal in rural spatial planning

Specific issues the region deals with/will deal with

Abandonment vs intensification of forage systems;Loss of Habitats of Community interest;Loss of production in summer;Dramatic reduction of the number of dairy sheep farms in the last decade, but same number of animals in the region (3Million sheep);High vulnerability of forage production from pasture and temporary hay crops to climate variablity;Animals are reared outdoors to graze all year round, under a marked seasonal distribution of production;Increasing costs of feeds;

Regional challenges with regard to climate change

Mediterranean: rainfall variability in Autumn and drought in SpringCentral Europe: summer droughtSpring drought is the most perceived threat as this would constraint the on-farm production of hay for the Autumn-winter, when pasture production is constrained by rainfall variability (Autumn) and low temperature (winter). Summer drought is not a challenge as ewes are dry and feed requirements at the minimum.

Proposed solutions to overcome the challenges

Contribution to answering the focus question

Food securityImplicationsEffects of droughtFarm profitability under uncertain climate and market conditions

Important adaptation measures that are or will be considered in the study

Water management
Irrigation
Drainage
Species/varietal choice	is important to this region.
Plant breeding
Changed planting/sowing days
Crop rotations
Alternative tillage methods
Pest/weed management	is important to this region.
Housing of livestock	is important to this region.
Land consolidation
Management of feeding and reproduction of livestock	is important to this region.
Structure and scale of production adjustment	is important to this region.
Crop insurance
Exit from agriculture	is important to this region.
Climate alertness
Political regulations at various administrative levels	is important to this region.
Others	is important to this region AND is/will be included in the modelling exercise.
	impact of climate change on the grassland production stability and its seasonal distribution

Models, stakeholders, advancement of knowledge

Models used in the study
Socio-economy	Crops	Grassland	Livestock
A4SMOD: Discrete Stochastic Programming Model (territorial and representative farms)Farm Budget AnalysisInput (available from P62 UNISS, UNIVPM or CRA SCA, FADN, ISTAT)Farm structures: FADN, 2010 Agricultural Census Land Use: FADN, 2010 Agricultural Census, Corinne Land CoverUse of inputs and yields: UNISS, UNIVPM or CRA SCA	EPIC v 0810 for annual haycrops	EPIC v 0810PaSim	NONE
How are results of of crop and livestock models assimilated in socio-economic models?	How is technological progress in arable agriculture taken into account?	How is technological progress in livestock farming taken into account?

Participating stakeholders

Agro-business or agro-food chain	Administrative bodies or regional or national governments
POLE FROMAGERE
Approaches for involving stakeholders

Improvement of the modelling capability by involving stakeholders

How did the modelling capability improve by involving stakeholders?	Effect of the involvement of stakeholders on the questions asked, on the assessment, or on the solutions suggested

Points that researchers learned from stakeholders	Points that stakeholders learned from researchers