side activities by non-farmers symposium ‘platteland als consumptieruimte’ 12 april 2012
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Side activities by non-farmers Symposium ‘Platteland als consumptieruimte’ 12 april 2012. Marianna Markantoni Department of Cultural Geography, Faculty of Spatial Sciences University of Groningen. What is a side activity?. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
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Side activities by non-farmersSymposium ‘Platteland als consumptieruimte’
12 april 2012
Marianna MarkantoniDepartment of Cultural Geography, Faculty of Spatial SciencesUniversity of Groningen
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What is a side activity?
A side activity is a small-scale home-based activity, which provides an extra income at the household level and is carried out in a rural household by non-farmers
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Main categories of side activities1) Services and facilities provision2) Tourism and recreation3) Crafts and arts4) Sale of home-grown products
More consumption than production related activities
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Why side activities by non-farmers?
› Lack of attention
• Rural development
• Rural policy
› Focus of farm diversification of farmers
› ‘Invisibility’ of side activities in datasets
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› Research in 36 municipalities
› Survey & in-depth interviews
Methodology and data collection
› 560 side activities by non-farmers found 260 surveyed
› 269 side activities by farmers counted
Categories % Responses
Self-interest/pleasure 47.7
Earn and extra income 16.2
Unemployment 7.7
Work from home/childcare
4.2
Be the boss of my own 4.2
Social contacts 3.1
Environment 2.3
Challenge 1.9
Need for the product 1.5
Overproduction 1.2
(n=260)
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Motives to start a side activity (open)
Personal level
List of motives Great extent
Self-interestChallenge
54.343.0
Boss on my ownRural lifestyle
42.431.2
Availability of own resourcesQuality of life
30.227.1
DreamExtra income
30.629.1
Personal growthContribute to society
20.218.7
Social contactsFlexibility personal/family
19.618.8
Gap in the marketSuccess of others
15.25.1
Dissatisfaction paid jobFamily tradition
4.74.7
Unemployment 3.9
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Motives to start a side activity (closed)
1. Internal aspirations
2. Economic well-being
3. Rural lifestyle
Three main type of motives
Personal level
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Key features of rural develpment(Ilbery 1998; OECD 2008)
› Rural economyo Directly
- Income- Employment
o Indirectly- Local collaborations- Competition- Rural tourism
› Social capital
› Physical environment
Regional level
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1. Direct economic impact
Annual net income from side activities, n=260 (Euros)
Categories Respondents (n) %
<1,000 45 32.3
1,000-5,000 38 27.4
5,000-15,000 46 33.1
>15,000 10 7.2
Very small
0.009 % of total household income (36 municipalities)
Employment generation
Sole traders, 2% hire personeel
Regional level
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Side activities foster local collaborationsTouristic routes
Bike routes
Walking routes
A side activity owner:
‘A groceries shop, a carpenter, a bike shop,
they profit from us and we from them. The
recreation office in the village is happy with our
group accommodation here.’
Indirect economic impact
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2. Social Impact› ‘I provide a listening ear’ (dog grooming salon)
› High level of personal interaction
› Fullfil social needs
› Municipalities:Social vitality of the rural areasA meeting point for the village
Regional level
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3. Physical environment
Regional level
› Small-scale, home-based do not seem to threaten the landscape
› BUT 25% of the side activity owners have growth aspirations impact?
› Municipalities set preconditions:
Do not clutter (verrommeling) the countryside
No big road sings
Fit with the surroundings
Stay small scale
‘It is not so much the economic contribution of side activities that is important...but their contribution to the social revitalization of rural areas’
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Conclusions
1. Personal level:Side activities are an important part of the
owner’s lives, needs and identities
2. Regional level:Side activities diversify the rural activities and
enhance the social wellbeing in rural areas
‘The importance of side activities is valued more in terms of non-economic
than economic returns’
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Thank you for your attention!
Questions?Westerweelde, group accomodation
Marianna Markantoni
Respondent’s Background (n=260)
Age <3030-4445-59>60
%18.540.634.66.3
EducationPrimarySecondaryHigher
9.460.030.6
GenderMale Female
39.061.0
Employed?Paid employedHousewife/housemanPensionSocial security
49.829.67.812.8
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Personal level
Enabling factors
› Rural location (affordability, rural amenities)
› Personal/household circumstances:
• Multifunctional home
• Major life transitions (marriage, parenthood)
• Support from family and friends
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Personal level
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The position of local governments
1) Side activities broaden the touristic and the recreation sector
Promote local products
Diversify the touristic activities
2) Side activities have a limited influence on tourism
They add a ‘little bit’ to tourism
They are very small, tourists do not come for these activities
Indirect economic impact
Policy perspectives
› Unclear policies for side activities
› Differentiation between farmers-non-farmer’s side activities in policies
This study concluded that:
› Side activities are not a threat to the landscapeBut attention to those with clear growth intentions
› Raise awareness of the contribution of side activities for the revitalization and diversification of rural areas
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Regional level