Agroecology case study: Revenons à nos moutons

Deux mondes, deux plaisirs! Pour nous et nos brebis! (Two worlds, two pleasures! For us and our sheep!)

— Revenons à nos moutons

Revenons à nos moutons is a low-input sheep-breeding system in Corrèze, France.

The sheep grazing is coordinated with the seasonal changes of their region. To save on inputs such as feed, sheep need to be raised and fattened on pasture as much as possible, but grasslands don't grow consistently all year around. The rotation used is:

• Grasslands during spring and autumn
• Moors and peat bogs during summer (when rains are at their lowest and the bogs are at their driest, and when the grassland dries out)
• Heathlands in winter (when frost reduces the tannin content of heather)
• Calcareous grasslands and limestone plateaus as a “safety net” in case the other locations have insufficient forage

Animals are moved from pasture to pasture on foot, typically with the sheep being fitted with bells as a part of a cultural tradition. The pastoral group is, in fact, called the “group of 1000 bells,” indicative of the cultural significance of this aspect.

As the herds are tended by a shepherd, they do not need fencing, and do not cause common livestock problems such as eroding riverbanks and defecating or urinating into the water (since the shepherd will be watching).

The sheep are given hay when needed, but no grains or industrial feed.

As the animals are grazing lands with diverse plants, they may encounter toxic ones. The system does not separate lambs from their parents, so that their parents can teach them which plants to avoid and which to eat. This eliminates a need for intensive management of pasture to destroy noxious plants.

The system is woven in to the community, both including other pastoralists and people who do not raise livestock.

With other pastoralists:

• Collective hiring of shepherds to manage the sheep during summer
• Peer-to-peer knowledge exchange

With the broader community:

• Providing grazing as a service on the land of vine growers and foresters, rather than using mowing or herbicide

The system is used to produce meat and wool, which is sold locally. This is in addition to the impacts of low-intensity grazing on the land and the use of grazing to suppress undergrowth in vineyards and managed forests.

Revenons à nos moutons has been active since at least 2018, and remains active currently.

They produce less than conventional livestock farming but it is far more cost-efficient. Reduced income is workable due to grazing across a wide landscape that the farmers do not need to own (e.g., rented bogs and grazing as a service).

Their meat is of higher quality, but as is often the case, it is not suitable for the demands of the conventional food market. Producers have created and/or connected with smaller markets, or have also tried to sell directly to customers. The direct route is especially difficult.

We encourage all readers to use the forum, where you can give your opinion, ask questions or give responses on the corresponding Forum sections: Bushcraft & nature and Gardening, smallholding & farming.

• Revenons à nos moutons website
• Agroecology According to the European Coordination Via Campesina

• Otto Hague

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