Abstract
This article aims to show the ability of family farms in obtaining funds from rural development policies. Under the hypothesis that family farms’ characteristics influence their access to policies, the perspective of analysis is demographic. In the paper two demographic viewpoints are investigated, to emphasize the role of the family composition in fostering strategic farms’ decisions: the localization in the life cycle and the presence of assistants. The empirical test is provided for an Italian region: the funds of rural policies gained by family farms are examined, divided up into the three main strategic axes of the rural development plan. The results of the analysis highlight some interesting differences between the two demographic perspectives; the presence of assistants influences a farm’s strategic process and increases the access to rural policies. This induces normative consequences in terms of the possible articulation of policies aimed at sustaining family farms.
Highlights
The aim of this paper is to analyze funding strategies adopted by family farms with reference to rural development plans
According to Gasson et al (1988), family farm businesses are related to situations where: a) the principals are related by kinship or marriage, b) business ownership is usually combined with managerial control, and c) control is passed from one generation to another within the same family
We investigate the role of policies in fostering farm transformation and the eventual differences on the basis of demographic variables
Summary
The aim of this paper is to analyze funding strategies adopted by family farms with reference to rural development plans It looks into the influence of demographic variables on obtaining funds from the rural development policy: we define as “consumption of policy” the farm’s ability to obtain funds from rural development policies. According to Gasson et al (1988), family farm businesses are related to situations where: a) the principals are related by kinship or marriage, b) business ownership is usually combined with managerial control, and c) control is passed from one generation to another within the same family In this context, any boundary between productive and reproductive work in the farm household is artificial (Errington and Gasson 1993) and conditions farms’ strategies and aptitude to invest: the number of family members and localization in the life cycle could be relevant variables of influence. In order to cope with an even more competitive scenario and to secure a family farm’s resilience, a mix of strategies has to be carried out (Darnhofer 2010)
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