Typology of farms with cereals and pigs in three French regions

Although pig production is considered as an intensive production which does not need land, it is generally part of farms. Other productions, especially crops, and available acreage have a great and increasing influence on management and potentialities of pig units.A typology method according to experts views was used to identify and characterize cereal and protein-oil crops/pigs (COP) in three regions: Haute-Normandie and Picardie (Northern France), Charente and Indre (Central France) and Adour basin (South-Western France).The method is based on collecting and formalizing information from experts groups, known for their general of more specialized knowledge of the pig and/or crops systems in their regions. Their harmonization and collective validation was made by an external typologist.Several regional types were then identified and characterized by their trajectory, their organization, the technical-economic characteristics of their pig and crop units, their equipment level and their evolution prospects.For the three regions, a first distinction between the COP types was made according to the pig unit activity: breedingand-fattening, only-breeding and after-weaning-and-fattening herds.In Haute-Normandie and Picardie, systems were also described according to crops and supply mode of raw materials: cereals-only, cereals with technical crops or with technical crops and by-products.In Indre, Charente and Adour basin, the distinction between types was mostly made according to pig unit and acreage sizes.Results allow to show the links between productions, taking the characteristics of each region into account and according to the supply strategies of each of the local economic context.