Évaluation des fonctions des prairies par les acteurs européens

In order to promote sustainable and competitive ruminant production systems, the European Multisward project was aimed at improving farmer trust in grassland and grassland mixtures. A questionnaire on grassland functions was submitted in eight languages, in order to better understand the importance of grassland functions for all the stakeholders involved (farmers, policy decision-makers, researchers, farming advisors, students, teachers, private companies and NGOs). Over 2,000 replies were received. The 3 aspects of sustainability were classified as follows: Economic aspects > ecological aspects > social aspects, with varying results per country and type of stakeholder. Grassland functions are widely recognized and appreciated by all the players involved, emphasizing the importance of grassland in Europe.