Farming Transitions Under Socio-Economic And Climatic Constraints In The Southern Part Of Setif, Algeria

This study was carried out on a sample of 224 farms in the southern region of Setif-Algeria, aimed to identify the different typologies and the agricultural changes caused by the climatic constrains experienced in last three decades. Indeed, the combined effect of climatic and anthropogenic factors on agricultural practices transitions is too tangled. A series of multivariate and classification statistical analysis have been implemented to demonstrate the main trends and adaptation strategies of farmers in such conditions. The farming characterization analysis showed that the medium scale farming was more economically efficient than small and large scale farming. Moreover, the study showed the effect of climate change on some farming transitions, where farming practices transited to bovine and poultry farming as well as for market gardening cultivation. Indeed, these changes occurred at the expense of rainfed agriculture (cereals) and ovine breeding. These transitions have impacted the economic performance of farms in some municipalities. However, greenhouse crops and tobacco cultivation were observed as being a Local Production Systems (LPS) that could be a good alternative to mitigate the natural and socioeconomic constraints. The emergence of LPS in an agricultural system may facilitate farmer adaptation that will provide a tool for agricultural development policies, through financial and technical assistance.