In 2024, research was solicited by the Regional Natural Park of Martinique (RNPM) to help redefine a shared vision for the re-domestication of feral pigs in Martinique and co-develop production strategies. Since 2016, the RNPM has led a niche market program involving the capture, genotyping, and re-domestication of feral pigs in agroecological systems. Governance changes disrupted stakeholder engagement, pausing the breeding plan. This study aimed to co-design with stakeholder’s innovative re-domestication systems of feral pig based on agroecological principles. A workshop was conducted using the Knowledge, Concepts and Proposals (KCP) method included three phases: (i) knowledge sharing, (ii) concept exploration and (iii) action plan development. A serious card game, based on Forage Rummy® and adapted for creole pig breeding in Martinique enabled the participants to co-design three action plans balancing conservation and development of the pig population. A roundtable with the main stakeholders illustrated the strengths and weaknesses of the feral pig re-domestication project. Co-designed action plans promote outdoor pig farming system with a diet based on local resources (banana, sugar cane, forage) to supply high-quality products (smoked ham, dry ham) highlighted by labels within a short supply chain (sold at farms, butcher). Stakeholders proposed creating a selection organization independent of commercial structures, to promote genetic diversity, control reproduction and distribute breeding stock to breeders. This study highlights the effectiveness of an original participatory approach that actively engages project leaders and stakeholders in co-developing sustainable breeding strategies. These collaboratively designed scenarios will strengthen the RNPM’s breeding program development.

Feral pigs may serve as a valuable genetic resource for the future, offering potential interesting gene pool for adaptation to climate change and the preservation of biodiversity. The main objective of this study was to identify the genetic structure of feral pigs from the Caribbean island of Martinique, measure the inbreeding rate of a Creole population re-domesticated in 2016 from captured feral pigs, and evaluate its evolution to the present day. We hypothesized that feral pigs, like Creole breeds of the Americas, have been shaped by a unique cross-breeding process linked to the historical context of the Caribbean. A total of 121 animals were genotyped and 76 were compared with referenced mainstream genotypes and Creole breeds from the Americas. Re-domestication efforts were carried out through a holistic approach, involving researchers, farmers, consultants, and development actors. The results showed that feral and semi-feral pigs in Martinique belong to the creole pig breeds, with more than 20% Iberian genetic admixture. The majority of domesticated pigs groups studied including re-domesticated creole pigs exhibit a significantly lower proportion of runs of homozygosity compared to feral pigs, suggesting a better control of inbreeding, thanks to structured breeding programs. The chosen conservation strategy was the result of a consensus between scientific evidence, practical experience, and field feasibility. A rotational mating system using sire lines among a minimum of five farmers was adopted. This approach is expected to generate, within five years, a pedigree containing information on a total of at least 150 reproducers on 8 generations.

Gastrointestinal nematodes (GINs) are a major health problem in tropical goat husbandry. The control of GIN has been nearly exclusively reliant on the use of anthelmintic treatments. Their wide use has provoked the appearance and diffusion of anthelmintic resistance. Therefore, there is a need to use anthelmintics only when they are really needed. This strategy of targeted selective treatment (TST) has been recommended. The selection of animals to be treated has been based either on the objective measures of GIN intensity (fecal nematode egg counts) performed in the laboratory or on indirect assessment such as anemia (FAMACHA©), diarrhea score or weight gains, particularly in sheep. The roughness of hair has also been proposed in goats. These indicators can be handled by the farmer. Their opinion on the importance of GINs, and the indicators that they are ready to accept and use have very rarely been studied. Goat for meat production is important in the French West Indies (especially in Guadeloupe) and GIN infection may significantly alter this production. Eighteen farmers participated in semi-directive interviews in order to appreciate their relation to goat GIN infection and the solutions they considered. Seventeen farms were investigated for fecal nematode egg counts, FAMACHA©, body score, and roughness of hair. The average infection by GINs was high (average fecal egg count 1562 and standard deviation 2028) with a wide range from one farm to another (from 0 to 25,000 eggs of GIN per gram of feces). The Haemonchus genera was predominant (54%), followed by Trichostrongylus (37%) and Oesophagostomum (9%). Young goats were less infected than adult goats since they were not yet grazing; males were more infected than females; and the Creole breed was more infected than the other breeds. Among the farming types, the professional ones were less infected compared with the traditional or mixed agriculture and husbandry farms. Those using targeted selective treatment did not have a significantly higher GIN infection than those treating the whole herd. Most of the characteristics were related and multivariate analysis could not match the intensity of GIN infection with any parameter. The frequency of anthelmintic treatments was negatively related to the use of body score, FAMACHA©, and hair roughness. The use of semi-directive interviews provided a wider understanding of the strategies and problems of farmers. The farmers valued their animals very much and diseases, in general, were a preoccupation, whereas parasites were not a major issue for traditional farmers. This is due to the important use of indicators and the belief in their value that gives comfort to the farmers that the parasites are being controlled. The extension services have well diffused the practice of indicators to the goat farmers of Guadeloupe, with some depending less on anthelmintics to control the gastrointestinal nematodes by using targeted selective treatments.

Local breeds are key components of livestock farming systems. They are part of livestock biodiversity and this diversity has been threatened since the second half of the 20th century by their replacement with animals from specialized breeds. The multiple benefits of farming systems using local breeds – provision of goods, landscape and environmental management, and uses related to cultural and heritage dimensions – have long been recognized and used to argue for their conservation. However, the notion of ecosystem services is rarely used to analyze those benefits. This article presents a qualitative approach to the provision of ecosystem services by farming systems that use livestock biodiversity. Based on diverse case studies of breeds from several species, we propose an analytical framework that accounts for how a service is qualified, who is concerned by the services identified, the role of the breed in the process of service provision, and interactions between services. Finally, the framework considers the links between the provision of services and the management of the breeds. We discuss to what extent the notion of ecosystem services is useful in dealing with the multiple benefits from farming systems using local breeds.

The Valab project (Integrated Ecosystemic value-enhancement of the Guadeloupean Forest Agrobiodiversity) is a participatory action research that aims to explore the feasibility of diversification activities within the forest understorey. In the exploratory phase of the project, we studied stakeholders’ opinions on the positive and negative impacts of introducing livestock activities within a forest environment, as well as breeders’ constraints or motivations for setting up livestock units within agroforestry systems in the private forests of Guadeloupe. To establish a diagnosis of the current situation, 51 stakeholders (St) and 49 farmers (Fr) were interviewed on their perceptions, opinions, motivations and preferences. Forty-one percent of the St has had a generally positive appreciation of livestock activities, while on the opposite 31% have had a resolutely negative posture depending on their area of expertise. Their views on the possible positive effects or negative interactions between livestock and agroforestry activities were analysed in order to suggest possible approaches for the authorities or associations. Unanimously, the farmers replied that their motivations followed economic strategies: for self-consumption or sale. But their decision-making processes were also non-economic. Many of them (36% Fr) gave importance to their activity in the construction of their identity, whether it was through a desire to perpetuate traditions or to maintain family activities. The main constraints identified were natural constraints (61% Fr), including topography, climate and predators. While 28% of Fr notified their motivations for environmental protection. Another constraint was of a technical nature (44% Fr) since farmers asked for more technical references or support services. Further researches are required to study the interactions between animals and the undergrowth by describing their respective ecosystem services in order to enhance their positive interactions.

Crop–livestock integration exploits the synergies between cropping and livestock systems, mainly by using animal excreta as an organic crop fertilizer or using crop products as animal feed. From an environmental and economic point of view, crop–livestock integration is thought to increase system autonomy and resilience. However, little research has addressed its social impact and particularly the relationship between crop-livestock integration and work organization although, like most agroecological practices, crop-livestock integration was considered time- and labor-intensive. Here we used quantitative indicators based on the “Qualification and Evaluation of Work” method coupled with qualitative interviews with farmers to understand how implementation of crop–livestock integration practices is affected by work characteristics (perception, organization, duration, and arduousness). This framework was implemented on 14 farms selected from a typology of mixed crop–livestock systems in Guadeloupe (French West Indies), where high labor costs heighten the tension between work organization and agroecological practices. Our results show that three patterns of crop–livestock integration shaped work organization: family farms with strong crop–livestock integration (Pattern 1, n=6 farms), farms with moderate crop–livestock integration (Pattern 2, n=5 farms), and intensive productivity-driven farms (Pattern 3, n=3 farms). We also show for the first time that farmer perceptions of work, especially with animals, influences level of implementation of crop–livestock integration practices. In Pattern 1, work with livestock is done by the farmers themselves or by skilled and trusted persons from their inner circle. In Pattern 3, livestock was considered a source of on-farm income, and work with livestock, including crop–livestock integration practices, is readily delegated to employees or volunteers. Whatever the pattern, the time burden of collecting crop-products and excreta was cited as a primary barrier to further implementation. Actionable opportunities for further implementation of these patterns of crop–livestock integration practices are discussed.

A project, jointly developed with the sheep and cattle farmers of Martinique, aimed to revitalize the meat sector through 'breeding and territory' actions. The partners from the interprofession, cooperatives and research carried out a two-year technical diagnostic phase on farms (6 sheep farms and 3 cattle farms). Fodder production (10 and 7 plots, respectively) and the growth of meat animals (291 and 70 animals, respectively) were characterised. The species richness of the plots, located in contrasting pedo-climatic regions, indicates a great variability and underlines the interest of these grazing systems to contribute to the biodiversity of the territory. Fodder production varies from 2.9 to 3.7 TDM/ha, depending on pedo-climatic factors (region, season,...) and represents a good potential. Growth rates (g/d) of lambs or bulls vary from 50 to 150 and from 400 to 980, respectively. Values are almost doubled when concentrate is added to the diet. Performance levels and the main factors of variation are discussed and highlighted with the literature. Grazing techniques that need to be further developed could support the reactivation of the meat sector within the framework of a quality approach that is being planned.

In tropical regions, Mixed Farming System (MFS) are very common. In these systems, the choice of crops is partly based on their potential to provide, in addition to their main functions (food for humans, raw material for the agro-industry), co-products that can be used as animal feed. These crops are called dual-purpose crops. The management of livestock and fodder crops within these MFSs meets different criteria than those of specialized livestock. The fodder resources come mainly from the co-products of dual-purpose crops. These are the basis, if not the only, ingredients of the rations. These co-products have physicochemical profiles that make them often unbalanced from a nutritional point of view. However, certain combinations of co-products can allow balanced rations for livestock. Another major constraint of the use of these co-products is their asynchronous availability relative to the needs of the herds. One of the challenges for an optimal use of these resources is the implementation at the farm and/or territory level of sober technologies allowing their availability in time and to formulate balanced rations.

Social innovation is critical in shaping human-forest relationships and how farmers and scientists engage with each other to design sustainability transitions. This paper reports on the outputs of a participatory stakeholders’ engagement platform that was designed to draw on local farmers’ knowledge and experience in identifying sustainable pathways for the development of multi-functional agroforestry in Guadeloupe. Two participatory workshops were organised that aimed to gain insights into the reality faced by farmers, in particular: (i) their vision of the future, needs and aspirations; (ii) their understanding of barriers and enablers in relation to the sustainability challenges they are confronted with and; (iii) their framing of human–environment relationships in socio-ecological systems. Outputs of the activities were synthetized by the research team and represented graphically for analysis. Results show that while farmers envision prosperous multifunctional forest farms in the future, they have to face complex challenges that require solutions at multiple scales and suggest different types of innovation: social, institutional, market-based and technical. Farmers saw themselves as being part of the socio-ecological system and as custodians of the natural environment. We discuss the implications of those results in the context of the absence of a system of innovation for agroforestry in Guadeloupe and highlight the opportunity for a innovation ecosystem thinking approach that integrates better the agricultural and forestry sectors, but also between actors and scales of governance. Implementation of a Stewardship status would enable farmers achieve their vision and embrace a custodian role vis-à-vis the agroforest. Embededment of the stakeholders’ engagement platform and its enabling processes in the innovation ecosystem is key to achieve those objectives.

The present study aims to assess (1) the ecosystem services (ES) provided by LFS and (2) the differential ES between local (Creole) and exotic breeds from pig, cattle and goat. The ES are defined as the benefits that humans derive from LFS. They were summarized in 12 ES indicators that cover services related to provisioning, ecological and socio-cultural aspects and territorial vitality. A total of 106 LFS units that covers the five agroecological zones of Guadeloupe were analysed. Functional typologies of LFS per species were created from surveys. The effect of breed on the ES indicators was tested. Results showed that the 40 pig LFS units were separated into 3 clusters that were differentiated in ES according to provisioning ES (cluster 1), cultural use and sale to the neighborhood (cluster 2) and pork self-consumption (cluster 3). The typology of the 57 farms with cattle distinguished 4 clusters with differences in ES provided in self-consumption (cluster1), ecological ES (cluster 2), socio-cultural ES for racing or draught oxen (cluster 3) and ES associated with territory vitality (cluster 4). The 66 goat LFS units were classified into 3 clusters different in ES concerning self-consumption (cluster 1), cultural aspects (cluster 2) and provisioning ES (cluster 3). Our study highlights that ES indicators are not breed dependent (P > 0.10) but rather livestock farming system dependent. The ES rely more on the rearing management than on the breed type, and up to now, there are no specifications in Guadeloupe to differentiate management between breeds.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of diet and age on finishing performances and carcass characteristics of male Creole goats. A total of 91 weaned male Creole kids [84 days old ± 7 days, 9.2 kg live weight (LW) ± 0.5 kg] were randomly allocated in a 2 × 3 experimental design. The animals were fed individually with two diets: C0: a 28-day-old Digitaria decubens grass alone, or C50: the same grass plus a commercial concentrate (50% of the total diet) and then slaughtered at 7, 11, or 15 months of age. Significant feeding regimen and age at slaughter effects were observed on the goat carcass characteristics. The addition of concentrate improved the average daily gain (ADG), the dressing percentage, and the conformation score (1–5 scale) from 46 to 88 g/day, 52.8 to 62.4%, and 2.2 to 4.9, respectively. Moreover, carcasses of the C0 group appeared lean with less developed fat than the C50 group and lighter than visceral fat. The meat color was significantly more affected by diet than age. Our data suggested that the production of heavy carcasses with low proportions of fat in the meat is possible in this local breed. The valorization of such a forage feeding system until 11 months of age or with the addition of concentrate from 7 to 11 months of age should be evaluated economically.

We draw lessons from the Covid-19 crisis on family farming in Guadeloupe, based on data from a survey of over 380 consumers and nearly 15 farmers and technicians. Geels and Schot’s (2007) model of socio-technical transitions is used as a framework for analyzing the changes underway. The results show that it is important to rethink the relationships between consumers and farmers, particularly in terms of marketing methods. Coupled innovations, including the ‘baskets’ developed during the crisis, could be socio-technical instruments for unlocking the way to agro-ecological systems.

The value enhancement of Guadeloupe's private forests (48% of the total) is a major challenge for the territory in terms of agroecological transition combined with diverse ecosystem services (ES). In many Latin American regions, agroforestry systems (AFS) include a significant proportion of livestock, but very few are described in Guadeloupe. In this study, AFS including livestock activities were classified through semi-open interviews ( n = 50) based on two dimensions: the agricultural region and the farmer’s main production strategy. Results showed that, on average, AFS are family farming systems (more than 30%) and the percentage of farmers with multiple activities is high (77%). Mixed tree-crop-livestock systems are very frequent, with 1/3rd of the sub-units devoted to animal husbandry. Farmers preferably raise small ruminants, backyard animals, and large herbivores (20 to 25% of answers each), and to a lesser extent raise pigs and keep bees (12% each). Mixed animal units exist (50%) with between two and six species. More than 80% of farmers use their farm resources (pastures, natural fodder trees or crop by-products) to feed their animals. Even though self-consumption remains widespread (50% of responses), 80% of the farmers want to give a more economic orientation to their activities. The other responses (16%) concerned socio-cultural functions. Several ES are described and are discussed here at different levels (farm, territory, society). In conclusion, in the forested area of Guadeloupe, there is a potential for the development of efficient livestock farming using an agroecological approach. Complete mixed systems (tree-crop-livestock) should be promoted for the provision of multiple ES.

With global climate changes currently occurring, and particularly given the severe energy and food shortages occurring throughout tropical regions, agroecological (AE) systems are drawing renewed attention as an efficient alternative to intensive models of production, particularly unsuitable in regions of the world such as the Caribbean or Latin America. There is a pressing need to focus on livestock farming systems (LFS) and characterize their potential contributions to global sustainability. A multidisciplinary approach is needed to address these multiple and complex problems. Traditionally, LFS have shown their sustainability high potential. The purpose of this work is to highlight solutions to minimize inputs, by describing some success and diverse case studies through the Caribbean. These systems were analyzed at different levels: animal/function, farm/family, and territory/society. This produced a set of guidelines that help to increase the efficiency of tropical systems, particularly those concerned with (1) choosing the best-suited genotypes, while enhancing population biodiversity; (2) matching the farming system to the available resources, feed, and by-products; (3) steering the whole farming system through reproduction management with no hormonal treatment, while facilitating system reproducibility and increasing performances; (4) controlling health constraints instead of annihilating risks and implement an integrated management design to reduce chemical treatments or increase the use of nutraceuticals; and (5) mitigating climate constraints by using soft techniques. In the second part of this work, some integrated systems are described. The Tosoly farm of Colombia, for instance, is conceived as a totally integrated crop-livestock system, allowing the additional production of energy at the farm level. Thus, it epitomizes the positive impact that livestock can exert upon the environment. The case study of Haiti indicates how AE practices can help in designing a pro-poor sustainable milk production system. It concerns an entire dairy sector built all over the country on the basis of micro-units of milk production and processing.

Small ruminants are very affected by gastrointestinal nematode (GIN) parasitism worldwide. The improvement of the host protective response and the reduction of the probability of contact between hosts and parasites appear as very promising strategies. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of a combination of two components of these two strategies on natural GIN infection and production performances of Creole goat kids: dietary supplementation and a rotational mixed grazing system. One hundred and twenty weaned Creole kids and six Creole heifers were divided into four experimental batches: Splus (supplemented) vs. Szero (non-supplemented) × Mixed grazing (kids associated with heifers) vs. Control (kids alone), and grazing plots of forage grasses were balanced for live weight (LW) in both species. The feed intake, blood, and parasitological parameters and production performances between 3 and 11 months of age were monitored. The fecal egg count (FEC) was significantly lower and the packed cell volume (PCV) significantly higher in the Mixed grazing groups. No effect of supplementation was observed for FEC. In contrast, PCV, body condition score, and live weight were significantly higher in supplemented animals whatever the groups. Mixed grazing system and supplementation had significant effects on the slaughter parameters (P < 0.05), but there was no significant interaction. Our results suggested that the advantage driven either by mixed grazing or dietary supplementation on kids' performances would be equivalent, and the combination of both would improve the animal performances.

HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access archive for the deposit and dissemination of scientific research documents, whether they are published or not. The documents may come from teaching and research institutions in France or abroad, or from public or private research centers. L’archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, émanant des établissements d’enseignement et de recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires publics ou privés. Academic or tradionnal knowledge transmission need a specific analysis of the formal and informal livestock sectors of the French West Indies (FWI). Gisèle Alexandre, Joséphine Louise Agristola, Agathe Cheval, Jessica Perrette, Audrey Fanchone, Jean-Luc Gourdine

Managing the transition from conventional agriculture to agroecology needs to account for the diversity of farming systems. Here we evaluate whether indicators based on agrodiversity and implementation of agroecological practices can discriminate types of farms with different trajectories in the context of the agroecological transition. The indicators tested were coupled with production factor, performance and strategy variables to better target their need for innovation. We propose a composite indicator that captures the main agroecological practices implemented within the study area: the French Caribbean islands of Guadeloupe and Martinique. Data was collected from 215 farms selected on the basis of their production strategy and their diversity. Eight variables related to production factors (farm size, equipment number, total and family labor), performance (total gross margin per hectare), surface devoted to implementing agroecological practices (SAEP), diversity (number of species produced), and local context integration (proportion of affiliation to professional organizations) were used to perform correlation and multivariate analyses (PCA and cluster analysis). The two PCAs (one with and one without SAEP included in the analysis) grouped agroecological practices, diversity, family labor and gross margin per hectare variables and opposed them against production-factor variables (farm size, total labor, and equipment number). Five farm clusters were identified when including the agroecological practices indicator in the analysis, i.e., 1) small diversified family farms, 2) medium-sized diversified family farms, 3) medium-sized diversified entrepreneurial farms, 4) medium-sized specialized entrepreneurial farms, and 5) large specialized entrepreneurial farms, and these clusters showed different degrees of agroecological and diversity practice implementation. Two extreme strategies of agroecological improvement were identified between large farms with high levels of production factors mainly oriented toward a light transition based on perpetuating existing agricultural models, and small family farms with high levels of diversification that already implement agroecological practices. Limits of this new composite indicator are discussed, and avenues for improvement are proposed.

L’agroecologie, vue ici comme un ensemble de pratiques, est une alternative prometteuse face aux nouveaux enjeux de l’agriculture. Dans cette etude un indicateur de pratiques agroeologiques (PAE) a ete construit et une methode a ete elaboree afin de caracteriser des exploitations a partir de leurs facteurs et de leurs strategies de production, de leur performance et de la mise en place de PAE. Ce cadre methodologique a ete applique a 92 exploitations de Guadeloupe et 123 de Martinique. Dans chacune des deux iles, 5 types d’exploitations ayant des strategies differentes vis-a-vis des pratiques agroecologiques ont ete observees. Il apparait que 50% des exploitations de l’echantillon etudie ont des animaux. De ce fait, 48% des exploitations utilisent des co-produits des cultures comme aliments du betail et 46,5% fertilisent leurs cultures avec du fumier. Les logiques d’integration cultures elevage et les besoins en accompagnement et en recherches dependent du type de ferme.

The study aimed at characterizing the management of 27 pig farms in the framework of a conservation program of the Creole pig of Martinique. Blood samples were collected on 67 pigs for serological analysis. A multivariate analysis discriminated six groups of farms: group 1 (n = 9) consisted of family farms with fewer than three boars and a higher age of replacement of reproducers than the other farms (6.2 vs 5.0 years, p < 0.01); group 2 (n = 5) consisted of small farms with two matings per sow per year and with more than two livestock species; group 3 (n = 5) consisted of farms with more than four boars and more than four sows, with batch management and a feeding diet mainly based on industrial concentrates; group 4 (n = 4) consisted of family farms with pigs reared outdoors and a feeding diet mainly based on local resources (50 to 100% of the total diet content); group 5 (n = 3) consisted of mixed farming systems with more than three boars and more than 10 sows; and group 6 consisted of a farm with a high number of females without batch management. The analysis of serological data showed that, regardless of the farming system (outdoor, semi outdoor, indoor), the sanitary status of pig farms in Martinique was good, with no identified contagious disease. The typology obtained and the results on the sanitary status of farms are encouraging signs to pursue the project aiming at the conservation of Creole pigs by exchange of healthy reproducers between farmers and the development of a niche market around heritage values.