Developing local protein resources in monogastric feeds to promote the agroecological transition

International audienceIn France, the intensification and specialisation of territories and farms have led to a dependence of livestock farms on the purchase of feed, particularly proteins, produced outside their territory, or even outside the country. This isparticularly the case for monogastric animals: pigs, chickens and ducks. The main protein food used for animal feed is oil cake, a co-product of the processing of soya, rape or sunflower seeds. In the hillsides of the Lauragais Tarnais,crop and livestock were formerly integrated. Now, as specialization towards cereal crop occurred, livestock farming is residual. Livestock are located on the rare grasslands (herbivores) or associated with field crop farms (monogastricanimals). However, despite a growing number of cereal-growing farms and strong crop diversification, crop and livestock are disconnected. Livestock farms and particularly those with monogastrics are strongly dependent fromimported proteins. Strengthening protein autonomy for monogastric farms at farm or region level is a strong regional issue. It is supported by the local agricultural actors, for economic and ecological reasons but also as a challenge forthe production of local quality products. It is an opportunity to initiate the agroecological transition of the region. Reconnecting crop and livestock productions implies changes for the livestock farms (e.g. rations), for crop farms (e.g.new crops, other rotations) and agri-chains (e.g. toasting soya). Identify the different levers and limits of a reconnection between crops and livestock as well as its local stakeholders could allow to strengthen protein autonomy. There is alsoa need to provide knowledge on the potentialities of the Lauragais territory in order to inform and inspire the different actors(/stakeholders ?). All that could be done through interviews with experts on livestock feeding, local expertson monogastric agri-chains and local farmers. The participatory approach will therefore be particularly important in this work to ensure the implementation of a dynamic that favours the territory’s protein autonomy. This presentationexplores how strengthening protein autonomy on mixed crop-livestock farms in the Lauragais Tarnais contributes to the agroecological transition