Drivers for differences in dairy farmers’ perceptions of farm development strategies in an area with nature and landscape as protected public goods

Abstract

Nature and landscape are increasingly appreciated as public goods and community assets in need of protection. Policy schemes aiming to protect vulnerable nature and landscape assets affect options for farm development and thus the opportunities for farm income strategies. Farmers as small business owners need to counter an ongoing income squeeze in their strategic decision. Farmers’ perception of the options affects strategic decision making. In a case study with dairy farmers operating in a highly comparable biophysical and socio-economic context, farmers differed in the perception leading to three main income strategies: ‘maximising’ or ‘ending’ of milk production and ‘diversification of farm business’ with the most dominant strategy being ‘maximising’. Multiple regression analysis was used to explore the significance of seven drivers for the differences between farmers’ perception of farm development options. The ‘personal views and preference’ is the most significant explanatory driver for all three income strategies. ‘View on markets’ is of less significance and ‘view on urban-rural relation’ is not significant in explaining differences between farmers. ‘Maximising’ and ‘diversifying’ are opposites in their drivers. To increase the effectiveness of policy schemes and support programmes, personal views and preferences of farmers need to be taken into account.

Three-Fold Embedding: Farm Development in Relation to Its Socio-Material Context

“…The construct pRfM is defined in this study as 'the opportunities perceived as viable in order to obtain a (substantial part of) business income'. In the survey, 79 dairy farmers (out of in total 102 farmers addressed) indicated on a 5-point Likert scale the perceived viability for a list of 15 opportunities for farm development to generate a substantial part of farm income (for a detailed description of methodology see [41,42]). This list of opportunities was created in the exploratory phase using the literature and interviews with farmers and stakeholders of farm development in the Kampereiland area.…”

“…The data were statistically analysed using a two-stage cluster analysis, leading to four clusters of farmers that represent coherent and consistent patterns of farm development that were validated as meaningful by stakeholders [41]. In the next step of the study, it was found that the personal views and preferences of the farmer are the most influential drivers to explain the differences between farmers [42]. In the present paper, the third and final step is described: this step aims to study the three-fold embedding of the different patterns of farm development using the ideal-typical farm practices of the patterns.…”

Effects of Production Diversification in Specialised Dairy Farms – Case Study

“…This specific state of suspension of a farm may be a prelude to professionalization or withdrawal from the market. This strategy is often applied on farms with unsolved inheritance problems (Methorst, Roep, Verhees and Verstegen, 2016;Mishra, El-Osta and Johnson, 2004).…”

Verder vergroenen, verder verbreden : naar een effectieve bijdrage van het Europees landbouwbeleid en beleid voor agrarisch natuurbeheer aan groene opgaven

“…Of de boer zelf ook mogelijkheden ziet, heeft te maken met inschatting van risico en met durf en ondernemerschap (Emery & Franks, 2012;Ingram et al 2013). Methorst et al (2016) noemen dit de 'perceived room for manoeuvre', wat wordt bepaald door hoe de boer zichzelf ziet, de persoonlijke ontwikkeling, de kijk op het eigen ondernemerschap, hoe hij de huidige situatie van het bedrijf en de markt beoordeelt en toekomst voor het bedrijf. Het beïnvloeden van het kunnen, door boeren in staat te stellen ook daadwerkelijk andere keuzes te maken, kan met de diverse economische instrumenten, met het aanpassen van belemmerende regelgeving, het stimuleren van technologische innovatie, opleiding en leernetwerken.…”