Background to the Research

• The recent crisis in agriculture has led European governments to restructure agricultural policy and practice.
• This chapter considers Northern Irish farmers' responses to this process, with a specific focus on calls for greater economic diversity and land transfer.
  

Research Approach

• In-depth interviews were carried out with a group of farmers with holdings in North Ards, County Down, Northern Ireland between 1990-1993.
  

Main Findings

• Reluctance to diversify is multi-faceted; economic concerns range from concern about the limit of the tourist market, the unpredictable nature of the market for the sale of alternative agricultural goods, the possibility of adverse effects on the economic cycle of the farm and a perception that official agricultural advisors are still rooted in 'production mind set'.
• The decision to diversify is also affected by the role that farming families have in the local communities in North Ards; successful modern farming is considered to be a key route to maintaining the integrity or public face of the family farm. Large farming families are prominent in a number of local institutions.
• In North Ards, land transfer takes place within the context of particularly high land prices. There are several economic and social imperatives in holding land, chief amongst which are providing for the family and maintaining the social composition of the area. Traditionally land is not transferred outside the family lineage or ethnic group.
• Land transfer by sale or rental is increasingly considered as a means of financing educational and career opportunities for children and siblings. The case study would suggest that the desire of farmers to maintain social composition and land provision is incompatible with the changing economic political and social climate.
• Almost all farmers in the case study represent productionism as an era of the ruralite and Protestant and post-productionism as urbanite and Catholic.
• The Farmers draw on Protestant non-conformity and individualism to justify changing farm practice.