Abstract
Smallholder farmers are an important and growing
segment of the farm population in Indiana and in the USA. Past research
regarding farmer decision-making has been inconsistent and has largely focused
on the larger-scale, conventional farmer, leaving smallholders poorly
understood. There is a need to better understand the management decisions of
smallholder farmers within their regional context to promote efforts toward
environmental, social and economic sustainability. Through in-depth qualitative
inquiry, this study investigated the impact of regional factors that influence
farmers’ decisions and the barriers and opportunities most relevant to farm viability
and sustainability in the context of East Central Indiana (ECI).
Semi-structured interviews with 15 key informants and 33 farmers informed our
understanding of the factors most relevant to small-scale farming in the
region. Several important themes emerged related to perceived barriers to
sustainable farm management, including markets; structures and regulations;
time and labor; environmental/ecological factors; and networking and access to
educational support. The results of this study complement the findings of
previous work that describe the complex framework farmers navigate when making
decisions on the farm. Further, subtle regional factors emerged that
significantly impact farmers’ decisions, emphasizing the importance of local
context in crafting agricultural policies and outreach efforts. Implications
and recommendations for ECI are discussed.
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