Farmers’ Perceptions of Agricultural Land Abandonment in Rural Western New York State

Kara A. Kuntz, Frederic Beaudry and Karen L. Porter
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Kara A. Kuntz: Division of Environmental Studies and Geology, Alfred University, Alfred, NY 14802, USA
Frederic Beaudry: Division of Environmental Studies and Geology, Alfred University, Alfred, NY 14802, USA
Karen L. Porter: Division of Social Sciences, Alfred University, Alfred, NY 14802, USA

Land, 2018, vol. 7, issue 4, 1-11

Abstract: Over the last century, the U.S. economy has favored large-scale agribusiness over small-scale farming. In some regions, this trend has led to the abandonment of cultivated land, and there is little scholarly literature that discusses how farmers are affected. The goal of this study was to examine Allegany County (NY) farmers’ perceptions of abandoned land and associated correlates. The data were collected through surveys mailed to farmers in Allegany County in 2012. We found that the majority of farmers felt personally affected by abandoned land and expressed the greatest amount of dissatisfaction with the state of the U.S. economy and local, state, and national regulations, especially if they considered themselves Republican. These findings address the sociopolitical significance of abandoned land and contribute to an understanding of how abandoned land affects residents of rural communities who are typically left out of discussions on policies affecting their livelihoods.

Keywords: agricultural economics; farmers perception; land abandonment; land use; rural community (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (13)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jlands:v:7:y:2018:i:4:p:128-:d:178682

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