The Sociology of Agriculture: Toward a New Rural Sociology

Abstract

Rural sociology has recently developed a new research agenda focussing on the sociology of agriculture. This has led to a revitalization of a field of research that had lost its way since the decline of the rural-urban continuum in the 1960s. The crisis that occurred in rural sociology in the 1970s is discussed in relation both to this theoretical vacuum and to the failure to achieve a policy impact. It is argued that the sociology of agriculture offers a potentially successful means of overcoming this crisis, but some of the difficulties in utilizing this approach are also discussed. Observations are made on the institutional setting of rural sociology and on whether it is compatible with the development of a critical sociology of agriculture.

Letting Go of ‘Conventionalisation’: Family Labour on New Zealand Organic Dairy Farms

“…The continued relevance of classic arguments about agricultural exceptionalism and the persistence of family farming (Newby ; Jackson‐Smith ) offers a theoretical foundation for future organic studies. Indeed, even the early works of the conventionalisation literature (Buck et al .…”

“…The continued relevance of classic arguments about agricultural exceptionalism and the persistence of family farming (Newby 1983;Jackson-Smith 1999) offers a theoretical foundation for future organic studies. Indeed, even the early works of the conventionalisation literature (Buck et al 1997;Guthman 1998) recognised the importance of these classic theories and acknowledge the potential barriers to the penetration of capital into organic agriculture.…”

“…Through a case study of labour categories on New Zealand's organic dairy farms, this study answers the call (Guthman 2004b(Guthman , 2008Rosin and Campbell 2009) for a more historically grounded examination of the organic agrifood system. Referring to the classic literature on the agrarian question and the persistence of family farming (Friedmann 1978(Friedmann , 1980Newby 1983;Reinhardt and Barlett 1989), I argue that the seeming anomaly of a return to family labour is the result of organic regulation intersecting with New Zealand's unique production system and labour market to increase the relative efficacy of family labour. Rather than conventionalising, New Zealand's organic dairy industry has reverted to the use of family labour even in the absence of labour regulations for organic certification.…”

A Framework for Agricultural Structural Policy Analysis

“…Both the values held by the public and the outcome of policies in this respect have, up to now, scarcely been made explicit. In sociological theories emphasis should be put on these aspects (Newby, 1983). Indeed, if sociologists do not reveal the social causes and consequences of farm boom and crisis, who will?…”

“…Structural change and structural policy are fields of agricultural economics which are not well covered in comparison with, for instance, market and price policies. Although rural sociologists may also be ill-equipped to handle structural issues (Newby, 1983) sociologists have more intricate concepts at their disposal. Yet in this paper it is argued that there is a need for sociological analysis of structural change and structural policy in agriculture.…”