Loading...
Continuity and Change: The geodemographic structure of Ireland’s population of farmers
Citations
Altmetric:
Abstract
: Drawing on the Census of Agriculture, a small number of researchers have
developed a substantial body of literature describing and evaluating the changing
structure of farms and farm enterprises in Ireland. This paper contributes to that body
of work through the development and application of a geo-demographic typology. The
research highlights the ageing of the population of farmers between 2000 and 2010
and describes the resulting spatial patterns. The application of the geo-demographic
typology enables the association between farmer age and the outcomes to processes
resulting in the geographic specialisation of farm enterprises to be identified and
assessed. The paper then considers the potential implications of intergenerational
transfer of land and farms to a new generation of land-holders. In this context, the
land use intentions of this group of land-holders will shape the future development of
the sector, not only in terms of food production and the attainment of targets set out
in agri-food development strategies, but also in terms of meeting societal demands
for the production of renewable energy and mitigation of climate change through
afforestation. The research highlights the on-going attachment to the land amongst
most respondents even in those cases where the farm enterprise is not economically
viable, and associated with this, the need for off-farm sources of income.
Description
27p.
Date
2017
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Geographical Society of Ireland
Collections
Research Projects
Organizational Units
Journal Issue
Keywords
Citation
Meredith, D. and Crowley, C. (2017) Continuity and Change: the geodemographic structure of Ireland’s population of farmers. Irish Geography, 50(2), 111–136, DOI: 10.2014/igj.v50i2.1318