Résumé
In Madagascar Central highlands, cattle farming plays a strategic role on family farms, both for its economic value and for the services it provides to the territory, e.g., organic fertilisation production, soil preparation, animal traction or household capital. In the DINAAMICC project, a serious game representing agricultural activities in a typical landscape of the highlands has been built. As part of a participatory approach, it has been used as a tool for analysing and discussing different dynamics on a territorial scale through sessions involving various stakeholders: farmers, stockbreeders, local authorities, technicians. This game highlights the stakes between cattle farming and other agricultural activities in terms of resource allocation, while raising awareness of its importance in the sustainability of agro-sylvo-pastoral systems. A key aspect of the game is the integration of contextual elements specific to local realities, in particular the threat of the Dahalo (cattle thieves). Often regarded as a tradition, livestock theft is a major constraint that weakens farming systems and has a cascading effect: by reducing livestock cattle, it leads to lower supplies of organic fertilizers and a weakening of household capital. By simulating these disruptions, the game enables participants to gain a better understanding of the issues involved in securing livestock production and its effects on the whole farming system. If it is not a tool for political decision-making, the game enables to enlighten debates about importance of livestock farming in family farming and rural areas sustainability.