If farming becomes surviving: Economic aspects

If farming becomes surviving!
Ton Duffhues
Specialist Agriculture and society ZLTO
Director Atelier Waarden van het Land
4 juni 2014, Wageningen
About myself
• Study
- Cultural and social Anthropology, specialised in sociocultural development of West European countryside,
agrarian economics, social movements / collective
action
• Work
- University
- Farmers Organisation ZLTO
Specialist Agriculture and society: social profile of
ZLTO, social – cultural aspects of farming, history,
cooperative movements
- Atelier Waarden van het Land
ZLTO
• Southern Agricultural and horticultural
Organisation
• Started in 19th century as a movement for
social and economic emancipation of small
farmers
• Founder of cooperatives (Rabobank, Achmea,
Agrifirm), schools
8.400 farms
16.500 members
125 employees
64 local
branches
ZLTO territory
3 organisations
LTO Noord
ZLTO
LLTB
ZLTO mission
ZLTO supports its members in realising a
sustainable position in both market and
society.
My story
• Facts and figures
• Succession by young farmers
• If farming becomes surviving: economic aspects
• If farming becomes surviving: social – psychological
aspects
• Myths and sentiments
• Coping strategies
• Meaning of farming and identity of farmers / family-farms
Facts and figures Dutch Agriculture
195
0
197
0
199
0
199
9
200
9
202
0
315
185
125
102
73
50
Land in cultivation (1000
ha)
2328
2143
2006
1987
1918
1860
Labour volume (1000 aje)
550
297
226
200
175
150
Labour volume / farm (aje)
1.8
1.6
1.8
2.0
2.35
2.55
Number of farms (x 1000)
2020: prognoses
Number of farms, 2000 - 2013
Economic size of farms, 2000 - 2012
Spread of very small (hobby) farms, 2012
Why less farms?
•
•
•
•
Age
No successor
Labor saving and capital intensive technology
Laws and rules on animal welfare, environmental issues,
development
• Prices, access to markets, income
Mostly a voluntary decision: by the changing of generations
a moderate or bad perspective on income and development.
About young farmers and their ambitions and
possibilities
About young farmers and their ambitions and
possibilities
• A rising rate of succession: 29% in 2008 - 35% in 2013
• A higher education of the successors
• A higher rate for big farms: better expectations: yields,
income, innovation, sustainability, investments, market.
• The important issues:
- the financial structure of the farm
- the farm-organisation
- appreciation and status
- balance social life – work and family – farm
- relation / communication with parents
If farming becomes surviving:
economic and social aspects
Storytelling
• "Met ons bedrijf gaat het goed, maar tussen mijn man en
mezelf zijn er steeds meer moeilijkheden. We hebben zo'n
verschillend beeld over de toekomst. Ik wil meer tijd voor ons
gezin en voor ontspanning, maar voor hem komt het bedrijf
steeds eerst. Ik voel me onbegrepen en gevangen. Hoe moet
het verder met ons?" Anja, 36 jaar
• "Ik denk eraan het bedrijf stop te zetten. Ik doe het niet meer
graag en de onzekerheid over de toekomst speelt me parten.
Deze zomer werkte ik enkele weken in een tuinbouwcentrum. Ik
leefde helemaal op. Maar ik weet niet hoe ik aan de stopzetting
moet beginnen? En is dit eigenlijk wel mogelijk met de lening
die ik nog heb lopen? Ik weet dat ik een knoop moet
doorhakken, want mijn humeurigheid weegt op m'n gezin."
Erwin, 35 jaar
If farming becomes surviving: Economic aspects
• Low income / bad prices / high costs (inputs, labour,
equipment)
• Loans and mortgages
• Need for high investments to meet societal demands on
sustainability and environment
• Quality of entrepreneurship / knowledge
• Laws, rules, bureaucracy
• Societal demands on environment and sustainability
• Perspectives on future existence or development
If farming becomes surviving: social-psychological
aspects
• Paralysed by uncertainty: not capable of making the right
decisions or making realistic analysis
• Isolation and loneliness
• Stress, burn-out or other mental problems
• Severe losses: family-members
• Animal-diseases, weather damages and other calamities,
• Physical problems and diseases
• Relational problems (man – wife; father – son, neighbours)
• Disbalance work – social life
• A low social vitality and social resilience
• Low self-esteem and negative self-image
• Victimisation and a sense of shame
• The tradition of being silent about the problems: “we do’nt
hang the dirty clothes outside”.
Social work by ZLTO for individual members
• Social work for individual members and their families
• Two social workers: free service
• In 2012 and 2013: 180 cases
• Ranking of the problems
1. Psychological problems
2. Unable to make choices
3. Relational problems
4. Coping with losses
5. Diseases and handicaps
6. Financial problems
7. Ending of the farm
8. Neglection of animals
9. Calamities
For a lot of elderly farmers: how can I stop farming?
Social work by ZLTO for groups
•
•
•
•
Holiday-week for physical disabled members
Day for widows and widowers
Day for farmers who live and work alone
Program ”The social aspects of working together on the
farm, for parents, the young successor and his or her
spouse”.
• A new start: a program for farmers that have ended their
farm: focus on social –emotional questions and dicovering
their talents for other jobs
• Time for Future. A program for members of 50 years and
older: what are their future plans with the farm and what
does this mean socially, financially, economically etc.
• Round tables on social and financial problems, together
with representatives of banks, accountants, feed and
seedcompanies etc.
A holiday for the disabled
Myths and sentiments
-
Dramatization: suicide
-
Victimization: modernization,
globalization
-
Romanticism
-
A sentimental economy: a mixture of
individualism, morality and sentiment.
-
The mode of production is connected
with social formation. Or: the family
farm is the reinterpretation or social
reconstruction of market dependencies,
transactions, technology etc.
-
Surviving by adaptation
-
John Berger: the culture of surviving is
looking at the future as a succession of
repeating acts necessary to survive.
Reputation and public image: what does it mean for
the individual farmer / family farm?
Worldproblems and their responsability
kritische (vlees)consument
Coping strategies
• In general
• New concepts of the function and values of
agriculture and family farms
• Human values of agriculture in the first place, for
producers and consumers
• Strategies for adaptation and innovation (in the sixties
and seventies the farms disappeared from the villages,
nowadays the citizens wants agriculture back in their
towns and neighbourhoods).
Modern farming
Healthy life
Smart farming
Connecting
technics and design
Social Farming
In cooperation and
connection with society
and environment
The new mixed farm
Healthy farming in the community
• More attention for:
- social capital of farmers
- social and economic vitality
- social and economic resilience
- ability to co-operate
- health of both farmer and citizen
- new balance in value-orientations
- awareness of their embeddedness
in different worlds (local / regional /
(inter)national)
- value based agriculture and farmstrategies
- alternatives
Human Values
• Human values of agriculture as central issue!
- Why do I want to be a farmer?
- How do I want to be a farmer?
- How do I want to be remembered by my grandchildren?
• Contribution of farming and food to the welfare
of society, the quality of life and the health of
people, animals and nature!
• Sustainability is a matter of personal and
organizational beliefs and values!
• Value-based decisions and practices!
www.waardenvanhetland.nl
Come out of the shadow and connect, talk, cooperate.
Ending the farm can be the best strategy!
Thank You
Meer info?
www.waardenvanhetland.nl
Twitter:
@waardenvhland
pag
32

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