Part 3: Report Conceptual Framework
The conceptual framework, in embryonic form, was taken back to the Advisory group, to a public meeting in Taihape, discussed with a number of other people involved in the project, and ‘endorsed’
In this section the premises are made explicit, the research tools are defined, the concept of sustainability is described, and the two main themes of the report, farming in context and farming in transition, are explained.
3.1 Report premises
There are a number of basic premises underlying this report:
- that it is necessary to look at farming, at farm families, the communities in which they live ie at farming in context
- that this context is shaped by economic, social, environmental and political factors [ spiritual factors are also important, but were not explored on this study]
- that farming, and families involved in farming- whether they be owners, workers, or people living in areas close by, have been caught up in the changes of the 1980s that swept New Zealand and are still dealing with the impact of those changes. This situation can be described as farming in transition
- that this transition is laced with uncertainty because people know where they have come from, where they are, but are uncertain of where they are going
- that this uncertainty is undermining the traditional culture of farming, gnawing at the fundamental being or logic of farming.
These will be described and analysed throughout the report.
3.2 Definitions of research tools
There is a description of the main tool used as the ‘framework’ for gathering and analysis of the data in the appendices [ see appendix b] . The following are key tools used in the research:
Living standards: the term is used to describe the quality of life of a group of people. In living standards studies certain criteria are used to measure and compare dimensions of the living standards of the focus population. The essential features of all living standards studies are:
- they use national samples of total population and/or targeted populations
- they are concerned with issues of social equity and distribution of resources
- they cover areas such as housing, transport, employment, income and expenditure and
- they include peoples’ sense of belonging, choice, control, security and safety.
Power relationships: these are relationships between people which have the potential to involve authority, influence, decision-making, choice eg between husband and wife, parent and child, nurse and patient; accountant and client.
Structures: the patterns of linkages at all layers - family, community, private sector, government which enable people to live, work, mix together. Structures change but there is an element of continuity basic to them. The term ‘infrastructure’ is the system of informal and formal relationships which enables a defined community - whether an organisation or urban area, to survive.
Culture: the term implies a shared set of values, beliefs, and understanding of what is important to people in a certain group. There are usually taken for granted assumptions both about everyday matters, and more fundamental matters - eg the value of human beings, the status of male and female, the value of paid work, or of language. These beliefs - about what is right, wrong, bizarre, or funny - may be explicit or implicit.
Contact for Enquiries
Rural Affairs Coordinator
Sector Performance Policy
MAF Policy
Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry
PO Box 2526
Wellington
NEW ZEALAND
Phone: +64 4 894 0675
Fax: +64 4 4 894 0745
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