Responsibilities, Caring Practices and Agriculture: Farmers’ Perspectives on Recruitment and Employer–Employee Relationships

Abstract

AbstractWith Swedish agriculture as its point of departure, this paper seeks to explore farmers’ recruiting practices and employer–employee relationships. Taking on the employer’s role means becoming subject both to formal statutory obligations and to regulations on wages, security and other aspects of working conditions. This article focuses on the more informal aspects of acting as an employer. The results show that recruiting, interacting and engaging with employees involve multiple responsibilities towards individuals and society alike. The practices of care identified are thus both private and public in nature, and exist within a framework of norms and ethical principles, a ‘moral economy’. The farmers’ strategies and decisions are understood as merged into negotiations regarding their identity, tradition, role in society and position in a global industry. Caring practices are embedded in farming practices and the focus on recruitment and employers’ experience adds to a multifaceted understanding of caring practices in which male farmers’ caring practices, too, become visible.