Environmental and economic issues for a sustainable management of grasslands: points of view about implementation in France of the future EU Rural Development policy

Abstract

From agronomists' and economists' points of view, this paper provides some comments on the implementation of the future EU Rural Development policy measures to improve environment and sustainability of agricultural land use. Advantages of extensive permanent meadows and rangelands towards environment and landscape are pointed out. But these ecosystems and the associated farming systems turn out to be weak. In this context, the payment of environmental services from extensive grassland management systems seems to be legitimate and to have priority over the support for conversion of intensive systems. This payment must take into account the global consistency of farming systems, either in local and participative approaches or in more general agro-environmental schemes.