Abstract
[e Grazing4AgroEcology (G4AE) project is an EU network to promote grazing and support grazing-based farms on their economic and ecologic performances as well on animal welfare across eight European countries (France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, Sweden). Five principles of agroecology were adopted by the project and used as the base to determine agro-ecological indicators for the assessment of the grazing capacities at farm level: (1) Adopting management practices that aim to improve animal health, (2) reducing the inputs required for production, (3) reducing the risk of pollution by optimising the biogeochemical functioning of farming systems, (4) enhancing diversity within production systems to strengthen their resilience, and (5) preserving biodiversity in agro-ecosystems by adapting management practices. ese indicators were implemented into a self-assessment tool that allows farmers to assess their own farm performance in order to make targeted improvements. e tool was trialled on eight farms in France and four farms in Ireland. e results have provided the farmers with a quantified assessment on the agro-ecological performance of their farms. It provides a basis for the dissemination and implementation of best practices within each farm and gives an insight into the potential to improve on-farm performance.