farmers on the edge? farm households and well- being matt lobley
Post on 20-Dec-2015
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TRANSCRIPT
Background
Farming recession Disease e.g. BSE &
FMD Policy change
Evidence from USA ‘farm crisis’ in 1980s
Change in the recent past
Cohesion eroded Loss of reciprocal helping Collapse of Union
membership Division surrounding
contemporary debate
Change in wider social role Decline in civic participation Unknown neighbours
Implications for well-being
Increased social isolation Farmers on margins of
information flows & ideas No ‘extreme poverty’,
lots of ‘going without’ Economic & family
vulnerability
Research Implications
Need for more sophisticated analysis – well-being indicators
Differential impacts on well-being
Well-being & business strategy
Role of social networks
Ongoing research
Relevant, though not health-focused: Farmers and the
internet ‘Virtual Villages’* Buckfastleigh
Broadband*
* with Sarah Skerratt, University of Newcastle
Internet’s potential (1)
Overcoming spatial isolation - access General health care info Specific consults, advice Learning/counselling
from fellow sufferers Impersonal, male-friendly Practitioner support
Internet’s potential (2)
Overcoming social isolation; facilitating contact Existing social
networks New social networks Wider horizons New neighbours Interactivity
Limits to potential
Incomplete coverage Generally ‘Digital divides’: rural,
old, poor, ill-educated Inhibitors
Financial Technological Human Relevance
Overcoming inhibitors
Focus mostly on technological fixes, e.g. Broadband Wearable interfaces
But other factors – especially ability and confidence of individuals – are crucial
Village websites
Over 1000 in UK Using global medium
with local relevance – and glimpses of a wider world
Potential for delivery of information, services
Potential for social interaction in spite of spatial isolation
A neglected resource?
Mostly one-man-bands Virtually no financial
support Rarely any link with
health or other ‘formal’ services
An opportunity for development (but partnership rather than patronising)
Conclusions (1)
Internet has potential both for access to health information, and in contributing to ‘well-being’
Developing use of internet requires attention to human factors as well as technological factors