If farming becomes surviving! - Ton Duffhues Specialist Agriculture and society ZLTO Director Atelier Waarden van het Land 4 juni 2014, Wageningen ...
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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 socio-
cultural 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
195 197 199 199 200 202
0 0 0 9 9 0
Number of farms (x 1000) 315 185 125 102 73 50
Land in cultivation (1000 2328 2143 2006 1987 1918 1860
ha)
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
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 Social Farming
Connecting In cooperation and
technics and design connection with society
and environmentThe 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 farm-
strategies
- alternativesHuman 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
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