Governing territorial climate mitigation: comparing policy implementation in mountain livestock farming in France and Switzerland

Abstract Mountain regions are highly vulnerable to climate change, yet governance of climate change mitigation (CCM) in agriculture remains dominated by top-down and sectoral approaches. This article examines how policy instruments shape the implementation of CCM in mountain livestock farming, focusing on Haute-Savoie (France) and the Canton of Valais (Switzerland). Combining policy instrument analysis with 31 semi-structured interviews with key state and local policy stakeholders, eleven farm visits, and document review, we assess how different institutional contexts structure farmer participation. Our findings challenge the assumption that decentralization automatically facilitates local climate action. In Switzerland, federal direct payments and project-based initiatives sustain strong farmer dependence on state support but generate only weak and fragmented territorial coalitions. In France, by contrast, the common agricultural policy (PAC) has paradoxically stimulated territorial governance through agro-environmental and climate projects (PAEC), even within a centralized system. However, farmer participation remains uneven and dominated by technical experts, while national farm unions often resist climate greening. The article contributes to the literature on policy implementation by showing how instrument design and territorial support structures condition the emergence of local coalitions for climate action. It highlights the need for long-term participatory mechanisms to strengthen the role of mountain farmers in climate mitigation strategies.