Modelling farmer decision-making: the case of the Dutch pork sector

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to develop a framework that models farmers’ strategic decision making, taking into account that farmers adapt to institutional changes, given the social structure in which they are embedded. Design/methodology/approach – First, a theoretical framework was developed using the reasoned action approach, innovation diffusion research, identity research, and the theory of structuration. Second, the framework was refined based on insights gained through semi-structured interviews with seven pork farmers and six pork farming experts on innovation decisions in general and added-value market adoption in particular. Findings – The farmer decision-making framework distinguishes personal characteristics, social influence related to reference groups, and the institutional context that determines the space for manoeuvre. The interviews reveal the importance of context specific factors, such as trust in policy and market requirements, and point at general mechanisms of path depende...

[1]  F. Caracciolo,et al.  Farmers' Participation in Civic Agriculture: The Effect of Social Embeddedness , 2014 .

[2]  Argyris Kanellopoulos,et al.  The role of farmers’ objectives in current farm practices and adaptation preferences: a case study in Flevoland, the Netherlands , 2014, Regional Environmental Change.

[3]  Alfred Posch,et al.  Photovoltaics in agriculture: A case study on decision making of farmers , 2013 .

[4]  Flaminio Squazzoni,et al.  Agent-Based Computational Sociology , 2012 .

[5]  J. Riet,et al.  Understanding farmers' decisions with regard to animal welfare: The case of changing to group housing for pregnant sows , 2012 .

[6]  Stéphane Bellon,et al.  Conversion to organic farming: a multidimensional research object at the crossroads of agricultural and social sciences. A review , 2011, Agronomy for Sustainable Development.

[7]  J. D. Ploeg,et al.  Entrapped in Group Solidarity? Animal Welfare, the Ethical Positions of Farmers and the Difficult Search for Alternatives , 2010 .

[8]  Claudia R. Binder,et al.  Towards an Improved Understanding of Farmers' Behaviour: The Integrative Agent-Centred (IAC) Framework , 2010 .

[9]  Understanding the sociocultural processes that contribute to diversity and conformity among farmers in Australia, Finland and The Netherlands , 2009 .

[10]  Thomas Berger,et al.  The Diffusion of Greenhouse Agriculture in Northern Thailand: Combining Econometrics and Agent-Based Modeling , 2009 .

[11]  D. Franks,et al.  Simulating the diffusion of organic farming practices in two New EU Member States , 2009 .

[12]  F. Casabianca,et al.  The Dutch Pork Chain: A Commodity System Resisting Threats from the Market and Society , 2009 .

[13]  Ian J. Deary,et al.  The Role of Attitudes and Objectives in Farmer Decision Making: Business and Environmentally‐Oriented Behaviour in Scotland , 2008 .

[14]  Kelly S. Fielding,et al.  Integrating social identity theory and the theory of planned behaviour to explain decisions to engage in sustainable agricultural practices. , 2008, The British journal of social psychology.

[15]  F. Nevens,et al.  'I'm sad to be glad': an analysis of farmers' pride in Flanders , 2007 .

[16]  F. Geels,et al.  Typology of sociotechnical transition pathways , 2007 .

[17]  G. Edwards‐Jones,et al.  Modelling farmer decision-making: concepts, progress and challenges , 2006 .

[18]  G. Bodenhausen,et al.  Associative and propositional processes in evaluation: an integrative review of implicit and explicit attitude change. , 2006, Psychological bulletin.

[19]  M. Commandeur,et al.  Diversity of pig farming styles: understanding how it is structured , 2006 .

[20]  Geoff A. Wilson,et al.  Injecting social psychology theory into conceptualisations of agricultural agency: Towards a post-productivist farmer self-identity? , 2006 .

[21]  Frank Vanclay,et al.  The Social and Intellectual Construction of Farming Styles: Testing Dutch Ideas in Australian Agriculture , 2006 .

[22]  A. Vishwanath.  Impact of personality on technology adoption: An empirical model , 2005, J. Assoc. Inf. Sci. Technol..

[23]  I. Ajzen,et al.  The Influence of Attitudes on Behavior , 2005 .

[24]  Rob J.F. Burton,et al.  Reconceptualising the ‘behavioural approach’ in agricultural studies: a socio-psychological perspective , 2004 .

[25]  Nicholas Mark Gotts,et al.  ASPIRATION LEVELS IN A LAND USE SIMULATION , 2003, Cybern. Syst..

[26]  M. Commandeur.  Styles of pig farming : a techno-sociological inquiry of processes and constructions in Twente and the Achterhoek , 2003 .

[27]  P. Burke,et al.  Identity theory and social identity theory , 2000 .

[28]  Tahir Rehman,et al.  Using social-psychology models to understand farmers’ conservation behaviour , 2000 .

[29]  W. Wood.  Attitude change: persuasion and social influence. , 2000, Annual review of psychology.

[30]  L. Bryant.  The Detraditionalization of Occupational Identities in Farming in South Australia , 1999 .

[31]  Gérard Weisbuch,et al.  Dynamical Aspects in the Adoption of Agri-Environmental Measures , 1999, Adv. Complex Syst..

[32]  T. Lloyd,et al.  Constraints on farm woodland planting in England: a study of Nottinghamshire farmers , 1996 .

[33]  M. Hogg,et al.  A tale of two theories: A critical comparison of identity theory with social identity theory , 1995 .

[34]  J. D. Ploeg,et al.  RURAL SOCIOLOGY AND THE NEW AGRARIAN QUESTION A Perspective from the Netherlands , 1993 .

[35]  I. Ajzen.  The theory of planned behavior , 1991 .

[36]  P. Burke,et al.  An Identity Theory Approach to Commitment , 1991 .

[37]  Z. Baber.  Beyond the Structure/Agency Dualism: An Evaluation of Giddens’Theory of Structuration* , 1991 .

[38]  Rupert Brown,et al.  Group Processes: Dynamics Within and Between Groups , 1988 .

[39]  P. Callero,et al.  Role-identity salience , 1985 .

[40]  A. Giddens.  The Constitution of Society , 1985 .

[41]  R. Cialdini.  Influence: Science and Practice , 1984 .

[42]  M. Fishbein.  A theory of reasoned action: some applications and implications. , 1980, Nebraska Symposium on Motivation. Nebraska Symposium on Motivation.

[43]  R. Kanter.  Some Effects of Proportions on Group Life: Skewed Sex Ratios and Responses to Token Women , 1977, American Journal of Sociology.

[44]  E. Rogers,et al.  Diffusion of Innovations , 1964 .