Young farmers’ social capital in Greece. Trust levels and collective actions

Authors:
Koutsou, S.
Partalidou, M.
Ragkos, A.
Type: Journal Article
Journal title: Journal of Rural Studies
Year of publication: 2014
Subject:
rural development
collective farms
Description:
Rural space seeks a new development model, for which “flexibility” is the key-word, that is the ability to adapt rapidly to the new, constantly changing, conditions of globalized markets. It is argued that flexibility can be achieved by society itself by developing its social capital, which allows for cooperation among actors in order to meet mutual goals. In rural communities, particularly in Greece, although it is expected that the social capital is increased because of acquaintanceships and frequent interactions among members, cooperation among farmers is limited and less than frequent. The purpose of this study is to examine the social capital of a rural society, by focusing on young farmers, because they are expected to play an essential role in the formulation and implementation of a modern model of rural development. Linkages between social capital, trust and collective actions are examined through an empirical investigation of young farmers in an exemplary rural area of Greece in order to provide an explanation as to the processes through which social capital can it play a positive role in the development of a rural society. The empirical analysis yields two findings of crucial importance. First, contrary to a priori expectations, the social capital of young farmers in Greek rural society is limited, considering that both the participation in voluntary organizations (especially in producer groups) and the level of trust, as depicted within the empirical analysis, are low. This entails limited collective actions, which actually translates to limited access to innovation. Second, young farmers’ increased trust to institutions (institutional trust) is linked to poor participation in collective actions. On the other hand, young farmers with reduced trust to institutions and enhanced trust to individuals (personal trust) are predominantly those who endeavor collective actions, which allow them to become flexible in order to better adapt to new conditions.
 

Related Resources

Economic sustainability of organic aloe vera farming in Greece under risk and uncertainty

Provider: 
Subject: 
Economical models
products
policies
rural development
agricultural economics
agriculture
agricultural practices
farms
farming systems
sustainable agriculture
alternative agriculture
organic agriculture
Collected from: 

Biomass Crop Production in Greece: Constraints and Future Recommendations.

Provider: 
Subject: 
plant products
policies
agricultural policies
socioeconomic development
rural development
agricultural economics
farming systems
sustainable agriculture
alternative agriculture

Sustainability of the Dairy Sheep farming: Examples from Greece and Spain.

Provider: 
Subject: 
animal products
agricultural policies
rural development
agricultural economics
sustainable agriculture

Agricultural extension, rural development and the food security challenge

Provider: 
Subject: 
agricultural extension
rural development
agricultural extension
rural development
Collected from: 

Expert meeting proceedings: First Expert Meeting on the Documentation and Measurement of the Roles of Agriculture in Developing Countries

Provider: 
Subject: 
agriculture
socioeconomic development
rural development
agricultural policies
Collected from: 

Agricultural marketing in Asia and the Pacific: issues and priorities

Provider: 
Subject: 
agricultural policies
rural development
Collected from: 

AGRERI Library

Economic sustainability of organic aloe vera farming in Greece under risk and uncertainty

Provider: 
Subject: 
Economical models
products
policies
rural development
agricultural economics
agriculture
agricultural practices
farms
farming systems
sustainable agriculture
alternative agriculture
organic agriculture
Collected from: 

Biomass Crop Production in Greece: Constraints and Future Recommendations.

Provider: 
Subject: 
plant products
policies
agricultural policies
socioeconomic development
rural development
agricultural economics
farming systems
sustainable agriculture
alternative agriculture

Sustainability of the Dairy Sheep farming: Examples from Greece and Spain.

Provider: 
Subject: 
animal products
agricultural policies
rural development
agricultural economics
sustainable agriculture

External Library

Agricultural extension, rural development and the food security challenge

Provider: 
Subject: 
agricultural extension
rural development
agricultural extension
rural development
Collected from: 

Expert meeting proceedings: First Expert Meeting on the Documentation and Measurement of the Roles of Agriculture in Developing Countries

Provider: 
Subject: 
agriculture
socioeconomic development
rural development
agricultural policies
Collected from: 

Agricultural marketing in Asia and the Pacific: issues and priorities

Provider: 
Subject: 
agricultural policies
rural development
Collected from: