<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p>Joint farming ventures (JFVs) are promoted within Irish and EU policy discourses as strategies that can enhance the economic and social sustainability of family farming. Research has shown that JFVs, including arrangements such as farm partnerships, contract rearing and share farming, can potentially enable farmers to work cooperatively to improve farm productivity, reduce working hours, facilitate succession, develop skills and improve relationships within the farm household. In the context of increasing policy promotion of JFVs, there is a need to make some attempt at understanding the macro socio-cultural disposition of family farming to cooperation. Reviewing sociological studies of agricultural cooperation and taking a specific focus on the Irish contextual backdrop, this paper draws the reader’s attention to the importance of historical legacy, pragmatic economic and social concerns, communicative norms, inter-personal relationships, individualism and, policy and extension stimuli, all of which shape farmers’ dispositions to cooperation and to JFVs specifically.</p></abstract>

Joint farming ventures (JFVs) are promoted within Irish and EU policy discourses as strategies that can enhance the economic and social sustainability of family farming. Research has shown that JFVs, including arrangements such as farm partnerships, contract rearing and share farming, can potentially enable farmers to work cooperatively to improve farm productivity, reduce working hours, facilitate succession, develop skills and improve relationships within the farm household. In the context of increasing policy promotion of JFVs, there is a need to make some attempt at understanding the macro socio-cultural disposition of family farming to cooperation. Reviewing sociological studies of agricultural cooperation and taking a specific focus on the Irish contextual backdrop, this paper draws the reader’s attention to the importance of historical legacy, pragmatic economic and social concerns, communicative norms, inter-personal relationships, individualism and, policy and extension stimuli, all of which shape farmers’ dispositions to cooperation and to JFVs specifically.

The Potential for Joint Farming Ventures in Irish Agriculture: A Sociological Review

Dr Peter Cush, Dr Áine Macken-Walsh, Teagasc Rural Economy and Development Programme (REDP), Athenry, Co. Galway, Ireland;

European Countryside

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Joint farming ventures (JFVs) are promoted within Irish and EU policy discourses as strategies that can enhance the economic and social sustainability of...

The Potential for Joint Farming Ventures in Irish Agriculture: A Sociological Review

Published Online: Apr 09, 2016

Page range: 33 - 48

Received: Dec 10, 2015

Accepted: Mar 18, 2016

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/euco-2016-0003

Keywords
Joint Farm Ventures, Cooperation, Irish agriculture, Resilience, Family Farming

© 2016 Peter Cush et al., published by De Gruyter Open

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

The Potential for Joint Farming Ventures in Irish Agriculture: A Sociological Review

Published Online: Apr 09, 2016

Page range: 33 - 48

Received: Dec 10, 2015

Accepted: Mar 18, 2016

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/euco-2016-0003

KeywordsJoint Farm Ventures, Cooperation, Irish agriculture, Resilience, Family Farming

© 2016 Peter Cush et al., published by De Gruyter Open

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Keywords
Joint Farm Ventures, Cooperation, Irish agriculture, Resilience, Family Farming