Focus-group interview on the perception of collective farming

Six farm managers from a fodder-growing area in eastern Switzerland took part in a focus-group interview examining how various forms of collective farming were perceived. Although it is not possible to generalise on the statements made at the interview, a number of illuminating attitudes and thought patterns were discerned: the farm managers viewed the intense collective forms of partial farming collective and farming collective from a number of angles, perceiving advantages and disadvantages in both. Nevertheless, the drawbacks outweighed the benefits, and it is becoming clear that neither form of collective represents an obvious choice for the farm managers, or is supported by the social environment.