Skip to main content

Research Repository

Advanced Search

Farm diversification, tenancy and CAP reform: Results from a survey of tenant farmers in England

Maye, Damian; Ilbery, Brian; Watts, David

Authors

Damian Maye

Brian Ilbery

David Watts



Abstract

Little work has considered explicitly the role of farm tenancy in influencing the uptake (or not) of diversification activities. The need to examine this link has been heightened because of the 2003 CAP reforms and the decision to tie Single Farm Payment (SFP) entitlement to the land rather than what is produced on that land. The main objective of this paper, therefore, is to examine the nature of diversification activities on tenant farms in England, which includes a consideration of how the introduction of the SFP and other CAP reforms may influence such restructuring processes. Results from a national postal survey, supported by tenant farmer/landlord interviews and a workshop, reveal high rates of farm diversification on farms with tenanted land. However, if one takes away contract/hire services the rate of diversification on tenant farms is much less. Tenant farms appear to favour more 'traditional' diversification activities and the results also demonstrate an increasing need to move towards more 'encultured' definitions of farm diversification. The second key finding to emerge from the research relates to the high levels of uncertainty and negativity surrounding the potential impacts of the CAP reforms, and SFP in particular, on farm business behaviour. Tenant farmers were more concerned about levels of SFP and entitlement than future investment decisions, including diversification. © 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Citation

Maye, D., Ilbery, B., & Watts, D. (2009). Farm diversification, tenancy and CAP reform: Results from a survey of tenant farmers in England. Journal of Rural Studies, 25(3), 333-342. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrurstud.2009.03.003

Journal Article Type Article
Publication Date Jul 1, 2009
Deposit Date Dec 7, 2010
Journal Journal of Rural Studies
Print ISSN 0743-0167
Publisher Elsevier
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 25
Issue 3
Pages 333-342
DOI https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrurstud.2009.03.003
Keywords diversification, farm tenancy, CAP reform, single farm payment
Public URL https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/1004237
Publisher URL http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jrurstud.2009.03.003


Downloadable Citations