- Effect on the community
- Community and social activity
- Community resistance and acceptance of enterprises
Enterprises and the community
Effect on the community
Perceived benefits to the community tended to be of the ‘flow-on’ variety. Generally the enterprises did not employ large amounts of external labour. However, in communities with small populations the impact of any additional work has an impact far beyond the number of jobs provided. An indirect benefit to the community from tourism enterprises arises from the visitors’ spending flowing across local commercial activities. Other benefits include entrepreneurs giving their time and expertise to community activities. Several enterprises supported a regular schedule of school visits. They took this particular responsibility very seriously to ensure that their visits were beneficial to the children.
Community and social activity
Responses were divided between respondents about whether there had been any change to the level of their social and community activity since the establishment of their enterprise. Slightly more women than men noted that their involvement had not changed, and more men than women noted that they were more community and socially active since the enterprise establishment. The majority (33) were less involved than they had been and there was no difference for men and women. It would appear that the additional workload generated by the enterprise in addition to the farm operation, and perhaps off-farm work as well, resulted in some withdrawal from an active community and social life. But comments by respondents were not so straight forward. Respondents pointed to ageing, the lack of farm labour, the closure of local schools (in which they had an involvement) and a change in emphasis to sport rather than community work, as reasons for less community involvement. Some respondents noted that while they were less involved in their local communities they had taken on activities that were now district or regional. Some enterprises have a built-in social life, particularly but not exclusively those engaged in farm tourism. Enterprises themselves can result in a higher community profile for entrepreneurs who become involved in community activities allied to their specific product or enterprise base. Comments from those who reported ‘no change’ in their community involvements revealed that generally ‘no change’ meant the retention of a range of community involvement!
Community resistance and acceptance of enterprises
At the time of their establishment a third of the enterprises faced community resistance. Several other respondents reported that their communities were neutral, the ‘don’t know why you bother’ attitude. Some resistance was directed at the individual entrepreneurs. However, 25 enterprises were accepted at the time of establishment, and many others found their communities were ‘supportive’, suggesting a more positive reaction than mere acceptance. Enterprises that initially met with community resistance have since generally become accepted, with only five respondents reporting current resistance to their business. This change can be explained by the observed success of the enterprises, by the positive profile established by both the enterprise and the entrepreneur, by an increasing knowledge of and familiarity with the enterprise, and by the general trend for farm families to seek additional income.
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James Stevenson-Wallace
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MAF Policy
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