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Who is down on the farm? Social aspects of Australian agriculture in the 21st century

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Abstract

Globalization, international policymanipulations such as the US farm bill, andnational policy responses have received a greatdeal of media coverage in recent times. Theseinternational and national events are having amajor impact on agricultural production inAustralia. There is some suggestion that theyare, in fact, responsible for a downturn in thefortunes of agriculture. Yet, it is more likelythat these issues are acting to continue andexacerbate a trend towards reduced viabilityfor farm families evident in economic andsocial trends since at least the 1950s.Nevertheless, globalization and Australia's policy responses have left farm families morevulnerable in the global world. What then do weknow about their impact at farm gate level?Just who is doing the farming in Australia inthe 21st century and how are these peopleresponding to major world politics? This paperwill focus on the social aspects ofagricultural production in Australia notingsocial trends and drawing attention to thechanging social relations of agriculture. Thedominance of farm families, the role ofcorporate agriculture, ethnic diversity, theimportance of women, and the practice of farmtransfers will be canvassed in this paper.

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  1. Centre for Rural Social Research, Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, Australia

    Margaret Alston

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  1. Margaret Alston
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Correspondence to Margaret Alston.

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Alston, M. Who is down on the farm? Social aspects of Australian agriculture in the 21st century. Agriculture and Human Values 21, 37–46 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1023/B:AHUM.0000014019.84085.59

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