Scope of Action of Family Farms
Source: Freepik, pvproductions
To date, the perceived extent of the freedom of action of farmers has rarely been used to evaluate the social sustainability of farms. Now, however, a new indicator has been developed that illustrates the scope for action of family farms in terms of consumption and production.
Previously, most indicators for measuring social sustainability were designed for the conditions of production of the Global South. Switzerland lacks a consistent method for measuring the social sustainability of farms. Furthermore, the concept of the ability to satisfy one’s own needs has attracted little attention in sustainability measurement. Now, however, Agroscope has developed an indicator enabling the measurement of this dimension of social sustainability.
Scope of action for satisfying needs as a pillar of social sustainability
The indicator is based on the capability approach of Nobel Prize winner in Economics Amartya Sen and consists of two sets of questions. The initial question posed is whether the household income is sufficient to lead a life according to the wishes of the respondent (e.g. to drive the car one would like to drive). Six further questions then deal with freedoms in agricultural production (e.g. “How much personal decision-making scope do you have with plant protection?”). An overall index is then calculated from the responses.
Relatively large room for manoeuvre in fruit and vegetable production
A survey of 555 Swiss fruit and vegetable producers showed that the decision-making scope in this sphere of Swiss agriculture is relatively high. On the consumption side, the average score – for example, for the question of whether the respondents were living as they would like to – was around 4 (scale: 1 (‘do not agree at all’) to 5 (‘agree completely’)). Minor drawbacks were cited for plant protection in particular: on a scale between 1 (‘completely unfree’) to 4 (‘completely free’), the average of the responses was 2.96 (corresponding to ‘fairly free’). We were able to show that the index is capable of explaining whether farm succession is likely in the future. Although tailored to ‘special crop’ farms, the index can easily be expanded for other farm types.
Conclusions
- Whilst agricultural policy and the market partners are increasingly restricting the scope of action of farmers, the developed indicator still shows quite a substantial decision-making scope for fruit and vegetable farms.
- Based on ten questions, this new indicator represents a tool for identifying undesirable developments in the social dimension of agriculture at an early stage.
- Farm succession by the next generation is more likely in farms that enjoy high decision-making leeway in consumption and production.
Bibliographical reference
A Capability Indicator for Family Farms in the GlobalNorth – Concept and Test from Switzerland.
