Exploring farmers’ perceptions of social sustainability

Abstract

In the farming sector, there is growing awareness of the importance of the social dimension of sustainability and its complex links to environmental and economic sustainability. However, social sustainability is generally the least understood dimension of sustainability. Despite efforts to empirically capture social sustainability, it remains unclear how it is relevant to individual farms and how it depends on their contexts. To generate a comprehensive and contextual understanding of social sustainability, we adopted a mixed-methods approach. We first conducted qualitative interviews with farm managers, which then informed the development of a survey focused on farmers’ perceptions and experiences of social sustainability at their farms. In total, 354 Swiss farm managers completed our online survey. First, we identified social aspects relevant to farmers and compared them across the three main production types in Switzerland (dairy, crop, and other livestock production). Second, we assessed farmers’ perceptions and experiences of social sustainability and the relationship of these perceptions and experiences with farmer identity (i.e., productivist, conservative, passionate caretaker, and forward-looking). The findings reveal differences in the meaning and importance of social sustainability across production types. Farmer identity appears to influence the experience of social sustainability at farms, with forward-looking farmers reporting better experiences of social sustainability than other farmers. The findings can inform the development and implementation of social sustainability indicators for farms and tailored interventions based on farm contexts and farmer characteristics.

Farmer Perspectives on the Economic, Environmental, and Social Sustainability of Environmental Conservation Agriculture (ECA) in Namobuddha Municipality, Kavre, Nepal

“…The second pillar focuses on the social aspect of ECA sustainability, which intersects with the environmental dimension by mitigating climate variability and enhancing consumer trust and acceptance. It empowers farmers to contribute to the betterment of their local and global environments, strengthening their adaptive capacity and resilience [33,34]. Furthermore, since ECA practices can effectively reduce greenhouse gas emissions, they enable farmers to continue their agricultural activities in the years to come.…”