Researching the Management of Family Farms: Promote Planning or Bolster Bricolage?

Abstract

In research, farm management may be approached from the perspective of economic rationality or studied using sociologically-inflected approaches. This article invites researchers to reflect upon the – often implicit – assumptions underlying their chosen research approach, regarding the rationality of family farmers and the dynamics of the broader context in which they manage their farm. To illustrate how different these assumptions may be, the article contrasts two ideal types, economic versus peasant rationality. They can be linked to different worldviews and lead to distinct recommendations for farm management: while one builds on a mechanistic worldview and promotes planning, the other builds on a complexity worldview and bolsters bricolage. Being aware of the assumptions underlying our research is important, not least given the performativity of research.