scholarly journals Irish Organics, Innovation and Farm Collaboration: A Pathway to Farm Viability and Generational Renewal

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 93
Author(s):  
Maura Farrell ◽  
Aisling Murtagh ◽  
Louise Weir ◽  
Shane Francis Conway ◽  
John McDonagh ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Data Gathering ◽  
Agricultural Practices ◽  
Organic Production ◽  
Family Farm ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Family Farms ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
The Family ◽  
The Impact

The family farm has been the pillar of rural society for decades, stabilising rural economies and strengthening social and cultural traditions. Nonetheless, family farm numbers across Europe are declining as farmers endeavour to overcome issues of climate change, viability, farm structural change and intergenerational farm succession. Issues around farm viability and a lack of innovative agricultural practices play a key role in succession decisions, preventing older farmers from passing on the farm, and younger farmers from taking up the mantel. A multifunctional farming environment, however, increasingly encourages family farms to embrace diversity and look towards innovative and sustainable practices. Across the European Union, organic farming has always been a strong diversification option, and although, historically, its progress was limited within an Irish context, its popularity is growing. To examine the impact of organic farm diversification on issues facing the Irish farm family, this paper draws on a qualitative case study with a group of Irish organic farmers engaged in the Maximising Organic Production System (MOPS) EIP-AGRI Project. The case study was constructed using a phased approach where each stage shaped the next. This started with a desk-based analysis, then moving on to semi-structured interviews and a focus group, which were then consolidated with a final feedback session. Data gathering occurred in mid to late 2020. Research results reveal the uptake of innovative practices not only improve farm viability, but also encourage the next generation of young farmers to commit to the family farm and consider farming long-term.

The land is what matters: factors driving family farms to organic production in Poland

2019 ◽  
Vol 121 (6) ◽  
pp. 1354-1367
Author(s):  
Pawel Chmielinski ◽  
Aleksandra Pawlowska ◽  
Monika Bocian ◽  
Dariusz Osuch
Keyword(s):  
Organic Farming ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Organic Production ◽  
Family Farm ◽  
Family Farms ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Family ◽  
Significant Negative Impact ◽  
Direct Payments

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to analyse tendency of farms to switch from conventional to organic production.Design/methodology/approachThe study used data on 6,229 individual farms, which in 2009–2016 continued to participate in the Polish FADN. Estimation of logit models allowed the authors to indicate, separately for each period in the years between 2009 and 2015, a set of characteristics influencing the decision of farms on the use of organic production.FindingsThe authors demonstrate that, first of all, land factors were of major importance when deciding on conversion to organic farming, with only the own land inputs (owned by the farm) having a positive impact on the transition of farms to organic production. But then the resource of the capital factor, identified with the assets owned by the farm, exercised a significant negative impact. Income derived from the family farm, although had a positive impact, did not significantly determine the farm’s decision on conversion to organic production. While support for agri-environmental purposes had a positive impact on the decision of farm to convert, the payments received under the direct payments affected this decision negatively. The tendency to start organic production is also conditioned regionally.Research limitations/implicationsThe data of this study are limited in size, and limited to the Polish context.Originality/valueThe research setting for this paper is original; the study takes part in the discussion about factors of conversion to organic farming, on example of Poland and is a voice in the discussion on effective support for the development of organic farming in the context of sustainable development.

scholarly journals No hard feelings? Non-succeeding siblings and their perceptions of justice in family firms

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ilse Matser ◽  
Jelle Bouma ◽  
Erik Veldhuizen
Keyword(s):  
Procedural Justice ◽  
Sibling Relationships ◽  
Family Farm ◽  
Central Research ◽  
Family Farms ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Business System ◽  
The Family ◽  
Succession Process ◽  
The Impact

PurposeFamily farms, in which business and family life are intricately interwoven, offer an interesting context for better understanding the interdependence between the family and business system. Many family farms struggle to survive, and the succession process is a key period in which the low returns on investment become evident but also the emotional attachment of the family to the farm and the willingness to transfer the business to the next generation. We take the perspective of non-succeeding siblings since they are crucial for a successful succession but their role and position in this process is far from clear. This study will help to increase our knowledge of how fairness is perceived by non-successors and of the impact of perceived (in)justice on the family business system.Design/methodology/approachTo analyze the effect on sibling relationships of an unequal outcome of the succession process, we choose the family farm context. We used interview data from multiple family members from several family farms in the Netherlands in different stages of succession. We utilized a framework based on justice theory to analyze perceptions of fairness among non-succeeding siblings. The central research question for this study is as follows: How do non-succeeding siblings perceive justice with regard to family firm succession?FindingsThe acceptance of the outcomes of the succession process by non-succeeding siblings is influenced by their perception of the fairness of the process itself and decisions made by the incumbent and successor with regard to these outcomes. It seems that stakeholders who occupy multiple roles with conflicting justice perspectives handle these contradictions with the help of an overarching goal—in this study, preserving the continuity of the family farm—and by prioritizing and adjusting the justice perspectives accordingly. The findings further show that both distributive justice and procedural justice are important and interact with each other.Originality/valueOur study contributes to the literature by applying the theoretical framework of distributive and procedural justice to the context of family farm succession. This helps us to understand the position of non-succeeding siblings and their role and position in the succession process, which is important because sibling relationships have a significant impact on family harmony, with potential consequences for the business as well.

scholarly journals “Thrown Into the Deep End”: Mapping the Experiences of Young People Living in a Family Affected by a Neurological Condition

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (5) ◽  
pp. 717-729
Author(s):  
Patricia Masterson-Algar ◽  
Sion Williams
Keyword(s):  
Young Adults ◽  
Chronic Conditions ◽  
Case Study Research ◽  
Support Networks ◽  
Growing Up ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Neurological Condition ◽  
The Family ◽  
The Impact

In this case study research, we investigated the impact that having a parent with a neurological condition can have on young adults’ experiences of growing up and the nature of their support networks. The work was informed by models of interface of chronic conditions and the family. Stroke ( n = 6), multiple sclerosis ( n = 14), and dementia ( n = 11) were selected as discrete cases. Within each case, the researcher (a) carried out semi-structured interviews with young adults (16–25 years) living in families affected by this condition and (b) organized a workshop in which all participants reviewed preliminary themes and reflected on their support networks. A thematic analysis identified four themes: the condition has shaped me, thrown into the deep end, I need to talk about this, and they don’t understand. A model of networks and support for these young adults was generated reflecting the need to increase their visibility and their access to support.

scholarly journals Beekeeping sector as a form of enterprise family history: analysis socio-economic

2019 ◽  
Vol 53 (4) ◽  
pp. 69-78
Author(s):  
Andriy Popovych
Keyword(s):  
Social Life ◽  
Family Farm ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Family Farms ◽  
Family Farming ◽  
Family Enterprise ◽  
Agricultural Enterprise ◽  
History Analysis ◽  
The Family ◽  
Definition Of

The beekeeping sector in the EU is small compared to other agricultural sectors, but necessary to pollinate most crops. In the European Union and Ukraine, the majority of beekeepers are small family farms. The family farm is an important institution of Western European agriculture and an important element of rural social life. The purpose of this article is to examine a particular type of agricultural enterprise and the type of activity that is beekeeping and to identify its specific features, which makes it possible to classify it as a family enterprise. The socio-economic analysis of apiculture is carried out from the perspective of two approaches. The first approach means meeting formal criteria for family farming. The second approach takes into account the most common practice in individual beekeeping. The apiary in terms of form and content corresponds to the definition of a family farm. The study suggests that the formulation and a series of theoretical and practical rules regarding family farming has been confirmed in the analysis of an individual beekeeping farm as a small form of agricultural production.

scholarly journals The change of sowing structure as a strategy for improving competitiveness of family farms directed at the final production of fattened beef cattle

2010 ◽  
Vol 55 (2) ◽  
pp. 183-193
Author(s):  
Sasa Todorovic ◽  
Sinisa Bratic ◽  
Nikola Filipovic
Keyword(s):  
Beef Cattle ◽  
Family Farm ◽  
Family Farms ◽  
Silage Maize ◽  
Budget Analysis ◽  
Alfalfa Hay ◽  
Structure Changes ◽  
The Family ◽  
Additional Procedure ◽  
The Impact

The aim of this paper is to examine the impact of sowing structure on family farm competiveness using the model of family farm directed at the final production of fattened beef cattle in the conditions of unchanged estate size. Applying a partial budget analysis, it was examined whether the decision on buying alfalfa hay or mercantile maize on the market and changing the sowing structure was economically justified and under what conditions using additional procedure of sensitive analysis. Applying this approach, it was investigated to what extent that decision contributed to improving the family farm profitability. The results of the conducted research show that the decision on buying mercantile maize mainly contributes to improving competitiveness of family farms directed at the final production of fattened beef cattle compared with the decision on buying alfalfa hay. It is the consequence of the fact that buying mercantile maize on the market will enable sowing structure changes, that is, buying mercantile maize will make the area free, which according to some conservative estimations, can be used for the production of sufficient amounts of alfalfa and silage maize for fattening of additional 19 head, whereas buying alfalfa hay will make the area free, which can be used for production of sufficient amounts of mercantile and silage maize for fattening of additional 6 head. In addition, it is shown that more rational way of organizing family farms directed at the final production of fattened beef cattle can additionally use available land resources and in that way increase profitability and improve competitiveness.

scholarly journals Exploring the Impact of Emotional Intelligence on Family Farm Member Conflict Experiences

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (15) ◽  
pp. 8486
Author(s):  
Emily A. Paskewitz
Keyword(s):  
Emotional Intelligence ◽  
Hierarchical Regression ◽  
Family Farm ◽  
Family Farms ◽  
The Family ◽  
Important Means ◽  
Farm Sustainability ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Relational Process ◽  
Conflict Types

Family farm sustainability traditionally focuses on economic and environmental issues. However, sustaining family farms also relies on understanding how to sustain the relationships contained therein. Emotional intelligence (EI) is an important means through which family farm members can sustain relationships, especially when handing conflict between members. This paper focused on how four EI dimensions (awareness of own emotion, management of own emotion, awareness of others’ emotions, management of others’ emotions) could prevent four types of conflict within family farms (task, relational, process, and status). Family farm participants (N = 204) were recruited through social media posts and emails to specialty agricultural groups and agencies, and students at a university. Hierarchical regression results showed that awareness of own emotions, management of own emotions, and management of others’ emotions negatively predicted task, relational, process, and status conflict. Awareness of others’ emotions did not predict any conflict types. Theoretically, this article points to the importance of considering all four EI dimensions, since they impact conflict types differently. For the family farm members, being aware of their own emotions and being able to manage emotional responses in themselves and others can help prevent conflict from occurring, thereby sustaining both family and business relationships for the future.

A general practice provider federation in a mixed health economy in England: a case study investigation

2018 ◽  
Vol 68 (suppl 1) ◽  
pp. bjgp18X696929
Author(s):  
Jill Mitchell
Keyword(s):  
General Practice ◽  
Shared Vision ◽  
Health Economy ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
The North ◽  
Common Strategy ◽  
Common Purpose ◽  
Collaborative Working ◽  
The Impact

BackgroundThere is an emerging debate that general practice in its current format is out-dated and there is a requirement to move to a federated model of provision where groups of Practices come together. The emergence of federations has developed over the past 5 years but the factors that influence how federations develop and the impact of this new model is an under researched area.AimThe study explored the rationale around why a group of independent GP practices opted to pursue an alternative business venture and the benefits that this strategy offered.MethodA single organisational case study of a federation in the North of England was conducted between 2011–2016. Mixed methods data collection included individual and group semi-structured interviews and quantitative surveys.ResultsFederations promote collaborative working, relying on strategic coherence of multiple individual GP practices through a shared vision and common purpose. Findings revealed many complexities in implementing a common strategy across multiple independent businesses. The ability of the federation to gain legitimacy was two dimensional – externally and internally. The venture had mixed successes, but their approach to quality improvement proved innovative and demonstrated outcomes on a population basis. The study identified significant pressures that practices were experiencing and the need to seek alternative ways of working but there was no shared vision or inclination to relinquish individual practice autonomy.ConclusionOrganisational development support is critical to reform General Practice. Whether central funding through the GP Five Year Forward View will achieve the scale of change required is yet to be evidenced.

scholarly journals Decision-Making Processes in Controlling Exposure to Sunlight Supported by Simulation Tools: A Case Study in Warm Weather

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (14) ◽  
pp. 4100
Author(s):  
Mariana Huskinson ◽  
Antonio Galiano-Garrigós ◽  
Ángel Benigno González-Avilés ◽  
M. Isabel Pérez-Millán
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Global Analysis ◽  
Energy Performance ◽  
Information Modeling ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Evaluation Tool ◽  
Simulation Tools ◽  
Building Information ◽  
The Impact

Improving the energy performance of existing buildings is one of the main strategies defined by the European Union to reduce global energy costs. Amongst the actions to be carried out in buildings to achieve this objective is working with passive measures adapted to each type of climate. To assist designers in the process of finding appropriate solutions for each building and location, different tools have been developed and since the implementation of building information modeling (BIM), it has been possible to perform an analysis of a building’s life cycle from an energy perspective and other types of analysis such as a comfort analysis. In the case of Spain, the first BIM environment tool has been implemented that deals with the global analysis of a building’s behavior and serves as an alternative to previous methods characterized by their lack of both flexibility and information offered to designers. This paper evaluates and compares the official Spanish energy performance evaluation tool (Cypetherm) released in 2018 using a case study involving the installation of sunlight control devices as part of a building refurbishment. It is intended to determine how databases and simplifications affect the designer’s decision-making. Additionally, the yielded energy results are complemented by a comfort analysis to explore the impact of these improvements from a users’ wellbeing viewpoint. At the end of the process the yielded results still confirm that the simulation remains far from reality and that simulation tools can indeed influence the decision-making process.

scholarly journals Physicochemical indicators of the influence of a lined municipal landfill on groundwater quality: a case study from Poland

2021 ◽  
Vol 80 (13) ◽  
Author(s):  
Grzegorz Przydatek ◽  
Włodzimierz Kanownik
Keyword(s):  
Groundwater Quality ◽  
Chemical Constituents ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Soil Medium ◽  
Detailed Statistical Analysis ◽  
Pollutant Migration ◽  
Leachate Water ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Carbon Concentrations

AbstractThe paper aims to determine the most significant physicochemical indicators of the effects that a lined landfill in southern Poland has had on groundwater quality. The results of the tests of groundwater and leachate water from the landfill for the period 2009 to 2016 were subjected to a detailed statistical analysis based on the 10 physicochemical parameters. A factor analysis was conducted considering the European Union and national requirements for landfills using analytical and statistical tools. The leachate contamination indicators from a landfill were analysed to reveal their interaction with the groundwater. The assessment indicated that there was an elevated and statistically significantly higher electrical conductivity and copper and total organic carbon concentrations in groundwater hydraulically downgradient of the landfill. The assessment also indicated that there were significant differences in the correlations between chemical parameters downgradient of the landfill and that there was a trend of increasing concentrations of some chemical constituents in groundwater. The adverse effects of the landfill were due to the deposited amount of waste exceeding 10 Mg per day. The impact was noticeable despite low and decreasing concentrations of heavy metals (Hg, Cu, Cd, Pb and Zn) in the leachate. The deterioration of the chemical state of the groundwater in the landfill vicinity could result in the extended time of pollutant migration or mass transport in the irrigated soil medium due to the limited efficiency of the leachate intake system or sealing screen after more than 20 years of landfill operation.

Experience and impact of the 1-2-3 magic parent programme for children with ADHD on the family unit from the mothers’ perspectives: A narrative analysis

2021 ◽  
pp. 136749352110399
Author(s):  
Stephanie Allen ◽  
Stephen K Bradley ◽  
Eileen Savage
Keyword(s):  
Narrative Analysis ◽  
Family Members ◽  
Study Data ◽  
Unintended Consequences ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Children With Adhd ◽  
Family Unit ◽  
The Family ◽  
Narrative Constructions ◽  
The Impact

Parent programmes are often used in the clinical management of children with ADHD. Research into parent programmes has predominantly been concerned with their effectiveness and much less attention has been paid to the impact that they may be having on the family and the inter-relationships between family members. This study explores the perspectives and experiences of parents of children with ADHD, who participated in a parent programme, including its impact on the family unit. A purposive sample of six mothers of children with ADHD who completed a 1-2-3 Magic parent programme in Ireland was invited to take part in this qualitative study. Data were collected by means of individual in-depth, semi-structured interviews and a narrative inquiry approach further informed analysis of the interview data. Two major narrative constructions of experience: ‘parent programme as positive’ and ‘parent programme as negative’ were identified. Outcomes from this study illustrated some unintended consequences caused by the parent programme (i.e. sibling rivalry and conflict arising between family members). Mothers believed that the parent programme was a beneficial intervention, but it was not without its flaws and they felt it was helpful for their family when used in conjunction with other supports and mediations.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document