essay

Changing agricultural strategies in a Kerry parish

ireland from belowGalway • Published In 1987 • Pages: 187-206

By: Shutes, Mark T..

Abstract
In this article, the author examines from an individual actor perspective the change from mixed farming to mechanized dairying when Ireland joined the European Common Market. Labor-intensive mixed farming, in which small farm households supplied labor to the larger farms, predominated in the parish for a century prior to 1950. During that period, emigration eventually resulted in labor shortages. The change to mechanized dairy farming is interpreted as a rational choice made by farmers in response to the dwindling labor supply. Social relations in the community also changed, as farms became more competitive with each other and gaps in farm incomes and family status widened. Without the need for outside labor, farmers became more isolated and once neighborly ties dissolved.
Subjects
Sociocultural trends
Domesticated animals
Dairying
Tillage
Agricultural machinery
Real property
Labor and leisure
Competition
Community structure
culture
Rural Irish
HRAF PubDate
2016
Region
Europe
Sub Region
British Isles
Document Type
essay
Evaluation
Creator Type
Ethnologist
Document Rating
5: Excellent Primary Data
Analyst
Ian Skoggard; 2014
Field Date
1971, 1976, 1987
Coverage Date
1841-1987
Coverage Place
County Kerry, Munster, Ireland
Notes
Mark T. Shutes
Includes bibliographical references (p. 205-206)
LCCN
89178213
LCSH
Ireland--Rural conditions