Workload on organic and conventional family farms in Switzerland

Reissig, Linda; Köhler, A.; Rossier, Ruth

doi:10.1007/s13165-015-0131-5

Cited by 11 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…It may be expected that the highest satisfaction should be associated with more free time for the farmer. Reissig et al ( 61 ) show a higher workload in organic than conventional farms. However, the association between WLh and tie-stall farms did not confirm this hypothesis.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Animal Welfare and Farmers' Satisfaction in Small-Scale Dairy Farms in the Eastern Alps: A “One Welfare” Approach

et al. 2021

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The multidimensional concept of animal welfare includes physical health, good emotional state, and appropriate behavior of the animals. The most recent methods for its assessment are inspired by the Welfare Quality, a project compiling animal-, resource-, and management-based measures. Recently, animal welfare assessment has also considered the human factor in a so-called “One Welfare” approach. The One Welfare framework highlights the interconnections between animal welfare, human well-being, and the environment. The concept seems to fit particularly well to mountain areas where the relationship between human, animals, and the environment is stronger. In such disadvantaged areas, farmers' well-being plays a key role in maintaining livestock farming profitably and sustainably. This study aims to investigate the relationship between farmers' satisfaction, animal welfare outcomes, and overall farm performance in 69 small-scale dairy farms in the Eastern Alps. Animal welfare assessment consisted of animal-based measures and was performed using the methodology proposed by the European Food Safety Authority for this type of farm. Moreover, the farmers were interviewed to retrieve data on farm characteristics and on their level of satisfaction toward workload, land organization, relationship with the agricultural/non-agricultural community, and the future of local agriculture. The results show that good animal welfare can be obtained in a mountain farming system. Clinical indicators show a low prevalence of diseases and of very lean cows as opposed to integument alterations. The workload is not perceived as a problem in traditional farms (i.e., tie-stall and with no participation in quality-certification schemes). Animal welfare is higher in those farms where farmers have a positive engagement with both the agricultural and non-agricultural community and where farmers are satisfied with their land organization. A One Welfare approach could be applied on a larger scale to fully understand the links between animal and human well-being in mountain areas.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Animal Welfare and Farmers' Satisfaction in Small-Scale Dairy Farms in the Eastern Alps: A “One Welfare” Approach

et al. 2021

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“…In a survey conducted in England, Lobley et al [10] found that a smaller proportion of the organic farmers were women compared to conventional, but female respondents from the organic sector were younger than those from the conventional (50 compared with 57 years old). A study on family farms in Switzerland found that the farm woman is more involved in family work than farm work, both in conventional and organic farming, but to a smaller extent in the latter case [50]. The Farm Economics Brief published by the European Commission in 2013 [13] on the financial performance of organic agriculture in the EU, indicates that there was no difference in the share of male and female farm managers in the EU-27 between organic and non-organic farms.…”

Section: Employment Of Womenmentioning

confidence: 99%

Labour Use on Organic Farms: a Review of Research since 2000

Orsini

Padel

Lampkin

2018

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Organic farming is frequently associated with claims of more labour requirements than conventional. However, there is a fragmented knowledge about labour use on organic farms in terms of workload, nature and quality of employment provided. In the context of a growing organic demand and a need for more farmers to convert to reach policy targets set by many EU governments, it seems crucial to understand labour trends on organic farms and to what extent labour requirements may hinder the adoption of the organic methods. This paper presents a review of mainly European literature published since 2000. Studies presenting results by farm type usually indicate higher labour use per hectare on organic than conventional arable farms, whereas similar or lower labour use is reported on organic livestock farms, and the results are mixed for other farm types. We have identified in the existing literature two broad dimensions directly related with labour use, which need to be considered in comparative studies, namely farm structure (including farm type, but also farm size and diversification activities), and technical efficiency. These two broad dimensions give us insights into some more specific factors affecting labour use, and how labour is related with productivity and technical efficiency. Overall it appears that claims that labour requirements represent a concrete obstacle to the adoption of the organic methods need to be treated with caution, and more research is needed to understand the role of labour in farmers' decision to convert to organic farming. The review of the nature and quality of employment indicates positive health effects related to higher satisfaction and lower exposure to pesticides in organic agriculture as the most important advantages for farm workers. Overall, there is limited research on whether the organic sector provides better opportunities in terms of job prospects, wages and employment of women.

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“…While there are significant differences in working conditions and training systems among large industrial farms, middle-sized family farms and smallholdings, cooperation is a major challenge across the whole organic sector (Reissig et al 2015). Increased cooperation among farmers, processors and retailers is one of the most critical steps for organic agriculture (Wägeli and Hamm 2015), and social issues related to ethical principles, especially fairness, are highly relevant in the context of this cooperation (Hamm et al 2016).…”

Section: Contribution Of Organic Agriculture To Fulfilling Ethical Vamentioning

confidence: 99%