Outreach, society, policy

Co-designing poultry for integrated crop-poultry systems: Genetic and organizational needs for agroecological transition

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Abstract

The agroecological transition- a shift toward sustainable farming systems that integrate ecological principles- requires closer coupling of crop and livestock production to enhance resource efficiency and ecosystem services. While integrated livestock-crop systems are well-documented for ruminants, poultry-crop systems (e.g., arboricultural, market gardening, or field crop systems integrating laying hens or broilers) remain understudied, particularly regarding genetic and organizational needs. Current poultry breeds, selected for high productivity in controlled environments, often lack traits suited to variable agroecological conditions. This study aims to identify genetic and organizational levers for developing poultry adapted to integrated crop-poultry systems, using a participatory co-design approach involving farmers, researchers, and poultry sector stakeholders. Our methodology combined four phases : (i) an exploratory diagnosis- analysis of 11 semi-structured interviews and 8 farmer testimonial videos from across France, documenting innovative crop-poultry integration practices, (ii) a co-design workshop with 12 farmers, 8 researchers, and 2 technical advisors. We used the Knowledge-Concept-Proposals method, a structured approach to foster collective problem-solving through knowledge-sharing, concept exploration, and proposal development, (iii) a sociotechnical diagnosis - 22 semi-structured interviews with poultry sector stakeholders (e.g., breeders, hatcheries, advisors) to identify barriers and opportunities for implementing co-designed innovations, (iv) a cycle of interactive webinars for sharing and deepening knowledge. We found that integrated crop-poultry systems offer multiple benefits, including enhanced food autonomy (e.g., reduced feed costs through on-farm grain production or insect predation), biological pest control (e.g., poultry reducing orchard pests such as codling moth), product diversification. However, farmers face critical challenges, such as supply constraints : small-scale farms struggle to access poultry chicks due to hatchery priorities favoring large-scale producers, biosafety and infrastructure standards (e.g., abattoir requirements) are designed for industrial systems, creating barriers for agroecological models, managing integrated systems requires diverse competencies. While farmers prioritize industrial breed traits (e.g., high productivity, feed efficiency, docility), they also seek agroecological traits, including adaptation to low-input, diverse diets), longevity and persistent lay, predation resistance (e.g., dark plumage for camouflage), climate resilience (e.g., heat/cold tolerance), distinctive product qualities (e.g., egg shell or meat color). Resilience emerged as a central but poorly defined concept. Farmers expressed willingness to trade off some productivity for resilience, though the economic and technical trade-offs (e.g., income vs. feed costs) remain unclear. Beyond genetics, farmers emphasized the need for collective organization to achieve reproductive autonomy and reduce dependence on industrial actors. This could involve creating a Farmers' Poultry Network to bring together farmers, researchers, veterinarians, and unions. Such a network would aim to develop suitable breeds, share breeding stock and knowledge, and build a common commercial strategy. This study highlights the need for systemic innovation-combining genetic adaptation, farm organization, and territorial networks-to support poultry-crop systems. Future work will focus on field-testing solutions on farms.

Keywords: 2026

How to Cite:

Coeugnet, P., Labatut, J., Tixier-Boichard, M., Rognon, X., Allais, S., Bedère, N., Goldringer, I. & Restoux, G., (2026) “Co-designing poultry for integrated crop-poultry systems: Genetic and organizational needs for agroecological transition”, World Congress on Genetics Applied to Livestock Production Digital Archive 2026(1): 2284663. doi: https://doi.org/10.31274/wcgalp.23609

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