LANDSCAPE ANALYSIS: region of VILLEVEYRAC (France)

• Preamble 

  Let's listen, as a beginning, the basic laws of the agricultural systems.
  

  Sebastien Bainville explains how agriculture is structured all around the world and presents its changing trends.

• Evolution of world agriculture (37') File 305.5MB

  • Production Systems across the world
  • The agricultural social categories across the world
  • The different types of farms across the world
  • Changing trends

• Step 1. Why start with a landscape analysis?

  • Agrarian land is always complex. In order to obtain a useful analysis, it is important to apply a method: Pierre Le Ray shows you how to explore and analyse a study zone.

  • Introduction: a landscape study, a good way to begin a study on agrarian land (1') File 11.3MB

• Step 2. What should we be looking for when we study a landscape?

  • 

     Exercise : A landscape can provide much information on how the environment is used, but it is necessary to identify the relevant elements. How do we do this?

  • What elements can be observed in a landscape? File

    • Exercise: List 10 elements of the landscape that you can observe
    • Theory: Deffontaines et Petit categories
    • Exercise: Categorise the elements of the landscape
    • Theory: The elements observed and the questions that they raise
  • Forum: exploring an area for the first time
  • Theory: the eight landmarks according to Deffontaines et al. File

• Step 3. An initial analysis of the area before the first field trip

  • At this stage, we split up the area according to the main bio-physical and socio-economic criteria.
    

  • Foreword: Do you know how to read a map?

    Here is an interactive guide and an exercise to help you remember the basics of effective map reading.

  • How to read a map File

    • Theory: use a topographic map
    • Exercise: identify the elements of the landscape on a map
  • Pierre Le Ray shows how to analyse a landscape ex situ, using maps and other available data.

  • Working on maps, climate or satellite data (16') File

    • What is a map
    • Analysis and zoning the landscape
    • Establish a transect
    • Analysis of an ombro-thermal diagram
    • Using satellite datas
      
  • Exercise: ombro-thermal diagrams. Build an ombro-thermal diagram from the temperature and rainfall recordings of the different regions of the world… and formulate hypotheses on the impact of the climate on farming practices.

  • Instructions for the exercise File
  • Solutions for the exercise File
  • Exercise applied to your context: After having followed Pierre Le Ray in the analysis of landscapes using maps and graphs, try to repeat this exercise for the zone of your choice.

• Step 4. Field work, direct observation

  • Now, let’s go out into the field!

  • Exercise: observation of the landscape in situ. To begin with, take your time to explore the agrarian area of Villeveyrac, with the picture tour. Then, Pierre Le Ray will visit it with you.

  • Video exercise: make your own observations in the field (9'30) File 203.1MB

    1. Note down the discriminating elements of the landscape
    2. Create your hypotheses on agricultural practices and other activities that structure this landscape
       
    3. Identify which points need to be explored further
  • Video solution: a suggested analysis of the landscape (33') File 763.1MB

    You will now proceed with the same visit, but this time with Pierre Le Ray who will share his own analysis with you. Did you make the same observations?
    

  • Fact sheet: steps in the observation of a landscape Page
  • __________

    Results: the expected results of a landscape interpretation

    The observation of the landscape at both the elevated points and along the transects, should allow you to :

    1. Define relatively homogeneous units relative to biophysical parameters and land use
    2. To undertake a close observation that allows you to characterise its different components
    3. To form the first hypotheses on the reasons why these different units are not used in the same way.

    __________

• Step 5. Data processing

  • We now have a large amount of information. Let’s see how this can be organised, simplified and represented.

  • Pierre Le Ray shows a possible representation: bloc-diagram and summary table.

  • Theory: How can we summarise the data observed in the field? (16') File 130.5MB

    • Draw a bloc-diagram
    • Diagram caption and key
    • Build the synthetic table linked with the diagram
  • Theory: Homogenising and aggregating several bloc-diagrams (3') File 21.4MB
  • Theory: Different ways of representing the elements observed (6 pages) File
  • Example: Synthetic diagram and table of the landscape (Villeveyrac area) File
  • Case of Villeveyrac: The questions that remain unanswered after the landscape analysis Page
  • Pierre Le Ray reviews the methodological precautions to bear in mind and presents a new destination.

  • Conclusions on the landscape of Villeveyrac and methodological precautions (3'30) File