Farm Resilience in Southeastern Ontario: A Comparative Study of Alternative and Conventional Farms
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Authors
Collins, Bryan
Date
Type
thesis
Language
eng
Keyword
sustainability , agriculture , environmental studies , resilience , qualitative research , sustainable agriculture
Alternative Title
Abstract
Southeastern Ontario presents a unique agricultural landscape in which both alternative and conventional farms operate. Each category of farm experiences a wide range of environmental and socio-economic shocks and stresses that threaten each farm’s longevity, raising policy questions about what constitutes ‘sustainable agriculture’. Yet in Ontario there presently exists no unifying policy framework for building agricultural sustainability and current rubrics emphasize continuity over transformation. In response, this thesis mobilizes an analytical framework based on resilience thinking to create a holistic method for assessing farm sustainability. Implementing this approach in the study area of Inverary, South Frontenac, semi-structured interviews were conducted with a range of both conventional and alternative farmers. These enable the thesis to identify primary shocks and stresses experienced at the farm level and account for the ways that their operations are structured to mitigate risks and achieve valued outcomes. Additional interviews with OMAFRA employees and other key figures from provincial agricultural organizations and economic development offices supplemented the direct accounts of farmers. This research found that alternative and conventional farmers are facing different sets of issues and are therefore prioritizing different responses to those threats. This research also found a strong discrepancy between the notions of sustainability as portrayed by OMAFRA and the notions of sustainability portrayed by the actions of farmers around Inverary. Key findings are summarized via policy recommendations in efforts to create a forward-looking vision of agricultural sustainability in the province.
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Copying and Preserving Your Thesis
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ProQuest PhD and Master's Theses International Dissemination Agreement
Intellectual Property Guidelines at Queen's University
Copying and Preserving Your Thesis
This publication is made available by the authority of the copyright owner solely for the purpose of private study and research and may not be copied or reproduced except as permitted by the copyright laws without written authority from the copyright owner.