Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-wq2xx Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-24T08:30:54.273Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

‘Slow to change’: Farmers’ perceptions of place-based barriers to sustainable agriculture

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 January 2017

Samantha Grover  and
Joshua Gruver
Samantha Grover*
Affiliation:
Ball State University, Ball State University, Muncie, IN 47306, USA.
Joshua Gruver
Affiliation:
Ball State University, Ball State University, Muncie, IN 47306, USA.
*
*Corresponding author: sgrover@umn.edu
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Smallholder farmers are an important and growing segment of the farm population in Indiana and in the USA. Past research regarding farmer decision-making has been inconsistent and has largely focused on the larger-scale, conventional farmer, leaving smallholders poorly understood. There is a need to better understand the management decisions of smallholder farmers within their regional context to promote efforts toward environmental, social and economic sustainability. Through in-depth qualitative inquiry, this study investigated the impact of regional factors that influence farmers’ decisions and the barriers and opportunities most relevant to farm viability and sustainability in the context of East Central Indiana (ECI). Semi-structured interviews with 15 key informants and 33 farmers informed our understanding of the factors most relevant to small-scale farming in the region. Several important themes emerged related to perceived barriers to sustainable farm management, including markets; structures and regulations; time and labor; environmental/ecological factors; and networking and access to educational support. The results of this study complement the findings of previous work that describe the complex framework farmers navigate when making decisions on the farm. Further, subtle regional factors emerged that significantly impact farmers’ decisions, emphasizing the importance of local context in crafting agricultural policies and outreach efforts. Implications and recommendations for ECI are discussed.

Keywords

farmer attitudesqualitative methodssmall farmsplace-basedstewardship
Type
Research Papers
Information
Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems , Volume 32 , Issue 6 , December 2017 , pp. 511 - 523
Check for updates
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2017 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Ahearn, M.C., Yee, J., and Korb, P. 2005. Effects of differing farm policies on farm structure and dynamics. American Journal of Agricultural Economics 87(5):1182–1189.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ahnström, J., Höckert, J., Bergeå, H.L., Francis, C.A., Skelton, P., and Hallgren, L. 2009. Farmers and nature conservation: What is known about attitudes, context factors and actions affecting conservation? Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems 24(1):38–47.Google Scholar
Alonge, A.J. and Martin, R.A. 1995. Assessment of the adoption of sustainable agriculture practices: Implications for agricultural education. Journal of Agricultural Education 36(3):34–42.Google Scholar
Aubrey, S. 2012. Indiana Farms, Indiana Foods, Indiana Success: Central Indiana Food Hub Feasibility Study. Prosperity Ag & Energy Resources, Hancock County, Indiana.Google Scholar
Barham, J., Tropp, D., Enterline, K., Farbman, J., Fisk, J., and Kiraly, S. 2012. Regional Food Hub Resource Guide (No. 145227). Available at Web site https://doi.org/10.9752/MS046.04-2012 (verified 15 September 2014).Google Scholar
Biernacki, P. and Waldorf, D. 1981. Snowball sampling: Problems and techniques of chain referral sampling. Sociological Methods and Research 10(2):141–163.Google Scholar
Blesh, J. and Wolf, S.A. 2014. Transitions to agroecological farming systems in the Mississippi River Basin: Toward an integrated socioecological analysis. Agriculture and Human Values 31(4):621–635.Google Scholar
Bowman, M.S. and Zilberman, D. 2013. Economic factors affecting diversified farming systems. Ecology and Society 18(1):33.Google Scholar
Bureau of Labor Statistics. 2012. U.S. Department of Labor. Unemployment, Employment, Inflation and Prices. Available at Web site http://www.bls.gov/ (verified March 2016).Google Scholar
Cantor, A. and Strohlic, R.S. 2009. Breaking Down Market Barriers for Small and Mid-sized Organic Growers. California Institute for Rural Studies, Davis, CA.Google Scholar
Carolan, M.S. 2006. Social change and the adoption and adaptation of knowledge claims: Whose truth do you trust in regard to sustainable agriculture? Agriculture and Human Values 23(3):325–339.Google Scholar
Chouinard, H.H., Paterson, T., Wandschneider, P.R., and Ohler, A.M. 2008. Will farmers trade profits for stewardship? Heterogeneous motivations for farm practice selection. Land Economics 84(1):66–82.Google Scholar
Davis, F.D., Bagozzi, R.P., and Warshaw, P.R. 1989. User acceptance of computer technology: A comparison of two theoretical models. Management Science 35(8):982–1003.Google Scholar
Délier, S.C., Gould, B.W., and Jones, B. 2003. Agriculture and rural economic growth. Journal of Agricultural and Applied Economics 35:517–527.Google Scholar
D'souza, G. and Ikerd, J. 1996. Small farms and sustainable development: is small more sustainable? Journal of Agricultural and Applied Economics 28(1):73–83.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Duram, L.A. 2000. Agents’ perceptions of structure: How Illinois organic farmers view political, economic, social, and ecological factors. Agriculture and Human Values 17(1):35–48.Google Scholar
Eastwood, D.B., Brooker, J.R., Hall, C.R., and Rhea, A. 2004. Small produce Growers’ marketing behaviors: A case study of Tennessee. Journal of Food Distribution Research 35(1):57–64.Google Scholar
Elmendorf, W.F. and Luloff, A.E. 2001. Using qualitative data collection methods when planning for community forests. Journal of Arboriculture 27(3):139–151.Google Scholar
Farmer, J.R. and Betz, M.E. 2016. Rebuilding local foods in Appalachia: Variables affecting distribution methods of West Virginia farms. Journal of Rural Studies 45:34–42.Google Scholar
Fishbein, M. and Ajzen, I. 1975. Belief, Attitude, Intention, and Behavior: An Introduction to Theory and Research. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley.Google Scholar
Fisk, J.W., Hesterman, O.B., and Thorburn, T.L. 2000. 12 Integrated Farming Systems: A Sustainable Agriculture Learning Community in the USA. Facilitating Sustainable Agriculture: Participatory Learning and Adaptive Management in Times of Environmental Uncertainty, p. 217. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK.Google Scholar
Franz, N., Piercy, F., Donaldson, J., Richard, R., and Westbrook, J. 2010. How farmers learn: Implications for agricultural educators. Journal of Rural Social Sciences 25(1):37–59.Google Scholar
Gebremedhin, T.G. and Christy, R.D. 1996. Structural changes in US agriculture: Implications for small farms. Journal of Agricultural and Applied Economics 28(1):57–66.Google Scholar
Gliessman, S.R. 2010. The Conversion to Sustainable Agriculture Principles, Processes, and Practices. CRC Press, Taylor & Francis Group, Boca Raton, FL.Google Scholar
Gould, B.W., Saupe, W.E. and Klemme, R.M. 1989. Conservation tillage: the role of farm and operator characteristics and the perception of soil erosion. Land economics 65(2):167–182.Google Scholar
Grammich, C., Hadaway, K., Houseal, R., Jones, D., Krindatch, A., Stanley, R., and Taylor, R. 2012. 2010 U.S. Religion Census: Religious Congregations & Membership Study. Association of Statisticians of American Religious Bodies. Available at Web site http://www.thearda.com/ (verified March 2016).Google Scholar
Grover, S., 2013. Exploring motivations and perceptions of small-scale farmers: Considerations for sustainable agriculture in east central Indiana. Doctoral dissertation, Ball State University.Google Scholar
Hall, C., Brooker, J., Eastwood, D., Epperson, J., Estes, E., and Woods, T., 2006. A marketing systems approach to removing distribution barriers confronting small-volume fruit and vegetable growers. Choices 21(4):259–263.Google Scholar
Hanson, J., Dismukes, R., Chambers, W., Greene, C., and Kremen, A. 2004. Risk and risk management in organic agriculture: Views of organic farmers. Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems 19(4):218–227.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hardy, C.L., Holz-Clause, M., and Chase, C., 2006. Analysis and Comparison of the Technical and Business Planning Needs of Iowa Farmers Marketing Directly to Consumers and Iowa Farmers Marketing Through Supply Chains. Iowa State University, Ames, IA.Google Scholar
Heberlein, T.A. 2012. Navigating environmental attitudes. Conservation Biology 26(4):583–585.Google Scholar
Hoag, D., Luloff, A., and Osmond, D. 2012. Socioeconomic analysis: National Institute of Food and Agriculture–Conservation Effects Assessment Project. How to Build Better Agricultural Conservation Programs to Protect Water Quality: The National Institute of Food and Agriculture-Conservation Effects Assessment Project experience. Soil and Water Conservation Society, Ankeny, IA. p. 120–137.Google Scholar
Inwood, S.M. and Sharp, J.S. 2012. Farm persistence and adaptation at the rural–urban interface: Succession and farm adjustment. Journal of Rural Studies 28(1):107–117.Google Scholar
Karami, E. and Keshavarz, M. 2010. Sociology of sustainable agriculture. In Sociology, Organic Farming, Climate Change and Soil Science. Springer, Netherlands. p. 19–40.Google Scholar
Knowler, D. and Bradshaw, B. 2007. Farmers’ adoption of conservation agriculture: A review and synthesis of recent research. Food Policy 32(1):25–48.Google Scholar
Koontz, T.M. and Johnson, E.M. 2004. One size does not fit all: Matching breadth of stakeholder participation to watershed group accomplishments. Policy Sciences 37(2):185–204.Google Scholar
Kroma, M.M. 2006. Organic farmer networks: Facilitating learning and innovation for sustainable agriculture. Journal of Sustainable Agriculture 28(4):5–28.Google Scholar
Lawless, G.M. 1999. The Farmer-Food Buyer Dialogue Project (No. 13). University of Wisconsin Center for Cooperatives, University of Wisconsin-Madison. Available at Web site http://www.uwcc.wisc.edu/info/ffbuyer/toc.html (verified 30 April 2013).Google Scholar
Lemon, M. and Park, J. 1993. Elicitation of farming agendas in a complex environment. Journal of Rural Studies 9(4):405–410.Google Scholar
Lynne, G.D., Shonkwiler, J.S., and Rola, L.R. 1988. Attitudes and farmer conservation behavior. American Journal of Agricultural Economics 70(1):12–19.Google Scholar
Martinez, S., Hand, M., Da Pra, M., Pollack, S., Ralston, K., Smith, T., Vogel, S., Clark, S., Lohr, L., Low, S., and Newman, C. 2010. Local Food Systems: Concepts, Impacts, and Issues. USDA ERS. Economic Research Report Number 97. Available at Web site http://www.ers.usda.gov/media/122868/err97_1_.pdf (verified March 2016).Google Scholar
Meter, K. 2012. Hoosier Farmer? Emergent Food Systems in Indiana. Crossroads Resource Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota. Available at Web site http://www.crcworks.org/infood.pdf (verified March 2013).Google Scholar
Mishra, A.K., El-Osta, H.S., Morehart, M.J., Johnson, J.D., and Hopkins, J.W. 2002. Income, wealth, and the economic well-being of farm households. Agricultural Economic Report, 812.Google Scholar
National Commission on Small Farms (NCSF). 1998. A time to act: A report of the USDA National Commission on Small Farms. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Washington, DC. Available at Web site http://www.iatp.org/files/258_2_106175.pdf (verified May 2012).Google Scholar
Pannell, D.J. 1999. Social and economic challenges in the development of complex farming systems. Agroforestry Systems 45:393–409.Google Scholar
Petrzelka, P., Korsching, P.F., and Malia, J.E. 1996. Farmers’ attitudes and behavior toward sustainable agriculture. Journal of Environmental Education 28(1):38–44.Google Scholar
Pimentel, D., Hepperly, P., Hanson, J., Douds, D., and Seidel, R. 2005. Environmental, energetic, and economic comparisons of organic and conventional farming systems. BioScience 55(7):573–582.Google Scholar
Prokopy, L.S., Floress, K., Klotthor-Weinkauf, D., and Baumgart-Getz, A. 2008. Determinants of agricultural best management practice adoption: Evidence from the literature. Journal of Soil and Water Conservation 63(5):300–311.Google Scholar
Reimer, A.P., Thompson, A.W., and Prokopy, L.S. 2012. The multi-dimensional nature of environmental attitudes among farmers in Indiana: Implications for conservation adoption. Agriculture and Human Values 29(1):29–40.Google Scholar
Riedl, B.M. 2007. How Farm Subsidies Harm Taxpayers, Consumers, and Farmers, Too. Available at Web site http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2007/06/how-farm-subsidies-harm-taxpayers-consumers-and-farmers-too (verified March 2016).Google Scholar
Ryan, R.L., Erickson, D.L., and De Young, R. 2003. Farmers’ motivations for adopting conservation practices along riparian zones in a mid-western agricultural watershed. Journal of Environmental Planning and Management 46(1):19–37.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Salamon, S., Farnsworth, R.L., Bullock, D.G., and Yusuf, R. 1997. Family factors affecting adoption of sustainable farming systems. Journal of Soil and Water Conservation 52(4):265–271.Google Scholar
Sassenrath, G.F., Halloran, J.M., Archer, D., Raper, R.L., Hendrickson, J., Vadas, P., and Hanson, J. 2010. Drivers impacting the adoption of sustainable agricultural management practices and production systems of the Northeast and Southeast United States. Journal of Sustainable Agriculture 34(6):680–702.Google Scholar
Soule, M.J., Tegene, A., and Wiebe, K.D. 2000. Land tenure and the adoption of conservation practices. American Journal of Agricultural Economics 82(4):993–1005.Google Scholar
Sullivan, S., McCann, E., De Young, R., and Erickson, D. 1996. Farmers’ attitudes about farming and the environment: A survey of conventional and organic farmers. Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics 9(2):123–143.Google Scholar
Tavernier, E.M. and Tolomeo, V. 2004. Farm typology and sustainable agriculture: Does size matter? Journal of Sustainable Agriculture 24(2):33–46.Google Scholar
Thilmany, D., Bond, C.A., and Bond, J.K. 2008. Going local: Exploring consumer behavior and motivations for direct food purchases. American Journal of Agricultural Economics 90(5):1303–1309.Google Scholar
Tilman, D., Cassman, K.G., Matson, P.A., Naylor, R., and Polasky, S. 2002. Agricultural sustainability and intensive production practices. Nature 418(6898):671–677.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
U.S. Census Bureau. 2013. Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE) Program. 2013 Poverty and Median Household Income Estimates - Counties, States, and National. Available at Web site https://www.census.gov/did/www/saipe/data/statecounty/data/2013.html.Google Scholar
U.S. Census Bureau. 2014. 2010–2014 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates on Educational Attainment. Available at Web site http://factfinder.census.gov.Google Scholar
United States Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service. 2012. County-level Data Sets. Available at Web site http://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/county-level-data-sets/poverty.aspx?reportPath=/State_Fact_Sheets/PovertyReport&fips_st=18 (verified March 2016).Google Scholar
USDA NASS. 2012. 2012 Census of Agriculture. Available at Web site https://www.agcensus.usda.gov/ (verified March 2016).Google Scholar
Westra, J.V. and Olson, K.D. 1997. Farmers’ Decision Processes and Adoption of Conservation Tillage (No. 13380). University of Minnesota, Department of Applied Economics, St. Paul, MN.Google Scholar
Zwickle, S., Wilson, R., Lillard, P., and Doohan, D. 2012. Organic Weed Management in Ohio and Indiana: A Report on the Knowledge, Perceptions, and Experiences of Farmers and Experts. Environmental Social Sciences Lab. College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences. School of Environment and Natural Resources. Ohio State University, Columbus, OH.Google Scholar