Page 422 - Panjek, Aleksander, Jesper Larsson and Luca Mocarelli, eds. 2017. Integrated Peasant Economy in a Comparative Perspective: Alps, Scandinavia and Beyond. Koper: University of Primorska Press
P. 422
integr ated peasant economy in a compar ative perspective
non-agricultural activities. Finally, agricultural holdings and rural pluri-
activity has changed rapidly towards more complex relations with various
forms of employment and diversification of income sources.
2. Part-time farming
Part-time farming is closely associated with the development of non-agri-
cultural activities in villages in rural areas. Particularly, this can be linked
to the development of labour intensive industrial activities in rural areas
with a high population density and surplus labour in agriculture and rural
villages. Therefore, literature on part-time farming has focused on this phe-
nomenon in relation to the quality-of-life perceptions of part-time farmers
in the agricultural and overall rural development of developed, industria-
lised countries (Arkleton Trust 1985; Jussaume 1990). Bessant (2006) argu-
ed that part-time farming was an initial term for pluriactivity in the 1930s
in the USA and the 1940s in Canada.
Part-time farming is linked to the pluriactivity of agricultural house-
holds with two-tier household labour employment: regular off-farm em-
ployment and on-farm employment after the regular off-farm employment
(Gasson 1986). It can be considered as a short-term to medium-term farm-
ing survival strategy with expected exiting from active farming activities
over the long-term, if household incomes increased sufficiently and there is
no family member interested in farming activities. This is a more frequent
practice in developed countries. Exit from active farming can be by selling
or renting land and farming specific equipment and other assets to other
active farmers. Part-time farming can play a contemporary survival role of
agricultural holdings on a longer-term basis, which can be a more frequent
strategy in developing countries due to lower incomes per holding member.
In Slovenia, part-time farming played a substantial role in agriculture
and in the rural economy during the socialist period, whilst its role had de-
teriorated later by considerable socio-economic, employment and demo-
graphic changes. Particularly restructuring and changes in the structure
of production in rural economies and employment changes in the econ-
omy have witnessed the reduction of blue-collar employment in low wage
paid labour intensive industries in rural regions. A large percentage of part-
time farming was associated with employment in local rural labour inten-
sive industries, where employment has been reduced substantially. Early
and regular retired people can continue with farming, whilst migration out
of rural areas more likely reduced farming in general as well as part-time
420
non-agricultural activities. Finally, agricultural holdings and rural pluri-
activity has changed rapidly towards more complex relations with various
forms of employment and diversification of income sources.
2. Part-time farming
Part-time farming is closely associated with the development of non-agri-
cultural activities in villages in rural areas. Particularly, this can be linked
to the development of labour intensive industrial activities in rural areas
with a high population density and surplus labour in agriculture and rural
villages. Therefore, literature on part-time farming has focused on this phe-
nomenon in relation to the quality-of-life perceptions of part-time farmers
in the agricultural and overall rural development of developed, industria-
lised countries (Arkleton Trust 1985; Jussaume 1990). Bessant (2006) argu-
ed that part-time farming was an initial term for pluriactivity in the 1930s
in the USA and the 1940s in Canada.
Part-time farming is linked to the pluriactivity of agricultural house-
holds with two-tier household labour employment: regular off-farm em-
ployment and on-farm employment after the regular off-farm employment
(Gasson 1986). It can be considered as a short-term to medium-term farm-
ing survival strategy with expected exiting from active farming activities
over the long-term, if household incomes increased sufficiently and there is
no family member interested in farming activities. This is a more frequent
practice in developed countries. Exit from active farming can be by selling
or renting land and farming specific equipment and other assets to other
active farmers. Part-time farming can play a contemporary survival role of
agricultural holdings on a longer-term basis, which can be a more frequent
strategy in developing countries due to lower incomes per holding member.
In Slovenia, part-time farming played a substantial role in agriculture
and in the rural economy during the socialist period, whilst its role had de-
teriorated later by considerable socio-economic, employment and demo-
graphic changes. Particularly restructuring and changes in the structure
of production in rural economies and employment changes in the econ-
omy have witnessed the reduction of blue-collar employment in low wage
paid labour intensive industries in rural regions. A large percentage of part-
time farming was associated with employment in local rural labour inten-
sive industries, where employment has been reduced substantially. Early
and regular retired people can continue with farming, whilst migration out
of rural areas more likely reduced farming in general as well as part-time
420
