Household and farm transitions in environmental context

Abstract

Recent debate in the literature on population, environment, and land use questions the applicability of theory that patterns of farm extensification and intensification correspond to the life course of farmers and to the life cycle of farm families. This paper extends the debate to the agricultural development of the United States Great Plains region, using unique data from 1875 to 1930 that link families to farms over time in 25 environmentally diverse Kansas townships. Results of multilevel statistical modeling indicate that farmer's age, household size, and household structure are simultaneously related to both the extent of farm operations and the intensity of land use, taking into account local environmental conditions and time trends as Kansas was settled and developed. These findings validate farm-and life cycle theories and offer support for intergenerational motivations for farm development that include both daughters and sons. Environmental variation in aridity was a key driver of farm structure.

The influence of farmer demographic characteristics on environmental behaviour: A review

“…This has a direct impact on environmental decision-making as "different phases are accompanied by different motivations and interests and will therefore influence management decisions" (Ondersteijn et al, 2003: 35 -also see Leonard et al, 2011). In particular, life-cycle stage can be indicative of periods of major business restructuring (Potter & Lobley, 1992, 1996Ondersteijn et al, 2003;Lambert et al, 2007) as (a) the retiring manager prepares the farm for succession (Ellis et al, 1999), (b) the successor begins to make management changes, or (c) the farmer without a successor prepares for retirement (Potter & Lobley, 1992, 1996.…”

“…While these are generally treated as independent (with some exceptions -e.g. Ruto & Garrod, 2009;Leonard et al, 2011) the review of causal influences suggests that 'scheme factors' can have a major impact on the way in which 'farmer factors' influence or indicate likely behaviour. For example, Wilson (1997) found no significant relationship between age and entry into the Environmentally Sensitive Area (ESA) scheme in general.…”

Road improvement enhances smallholder productivity and reduces forest encroachment in Ghana

“…Farm size dynamics are linked to the household life cycle (HLC); smallholder households with different age structures farm different sized plots of land (Perz et al, 2006). The HLC theory holds that farm sizes increase and then decrease over one generational period (Leonard, Deane, & Gutmann, 2011 (Gockowski et al, 2014;Hazell et al, 2010). This situation prevails in most SSA countries where mean farm sizes are less than 5ha (Sayer, 2010).…”

Exploring agent-level calculations of risk and returns in relation to observed land-use changes in the US Great Plains, 1870–1940

“…Most locations had access to transportation within a few years of initial settlement, and opportunities for market specialization were considerable. In previous work we have demonstrated that farmers in the plains were careful stewards of the land who recognized environmental constraints (Sylvester & Rupley 2012), diversified rather than specialized production over time (Sylvester & Cunfer 2009), and were influenced by demographic priorities in finding the appropriate mix of land use over the family life cycle (Leonard, Gutmann & Deane 2011). Whether or not settlers in the Great Plains pursued a logic that prioritized economic gain, and the degree to which their decisions deviated from profit maximization, represents an important open question about their behavior and its effects on the environment of the plains.…”