Partnership and Subsidiarity? A European Case-Study of Farmers’ Participation in Contemporary Rural Development

Abstract

The governance and rural development model, using a 'bottom up' rather than 'top down' approach, is considered to be a conducive operational approach for developing a rural economy that contemporarily seeks to focus less on productivist agriculture and more on innovation and diversification (CEC, 1988; CEC 2007; OECD, 2006). The capacity of the governance and rural development model to represent a diverse range of interests and capacities for the purposes of developing the rural economy is hinged on a number of social, cultural and economic assumptions, however, among them the broad generalisation that local rural people are “competent actors in the development process” (LEADER European Observatory, 1997). Entrepreneurs who engage in ‘indigenising’ the local economy (tourism; organic and artisan producers) are often the new pioneers and traditional agricultural producers are often in the position of having to adapt to new development tactics, principles and norms. After almost two decades of the introduction of the governance and rural development model in Ireland through the EU LEADER programme, it is evident that a high number of officially categorised non-viable farming enterprises are persisting and that a significant proportion of farmers are failing to participate in contemporary rural development programmes. In mind of the principles of partnership and subsidiarity, understanding the circumstances of the non-engagement of a significant proportion of the farming community in Ireland is inevitably crucial for maintaining the legitimacy of the governance and rural development model into the future. Drawing from research findings generated by a larger research project, this paper reflects on how the contemporary rural development agenda has taken form and presents qualitative analysis of the socio-cultural factors that Irish conventional farmers identify as featuring prominently in their decisions not to engage.