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The Socio‐Economic Effects of the Countryside Stewardship Scheme
Author(s) -
HarrisonMayfield L.,
Dwyer J.,
Brookes G.
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
journal of agricultural economics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.157
H-Index - 61
eISSN - 1477-9552
pISSN - 0021-857X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1477-9552.1998.tb01261.x
Subject(s) - rural area , context (archaeology) , christian ministry , stewardship (theology) , agriculture , agricultural economics , sample (material) , socioeconomic status , interview , distribution (mathematics) , economics , business , economic growth , socioeconomics , geography , political science , population , demography , mathematical analysis , chemistry , mathematics , archaeology , chromatography , sociology , politics , law
The Countryside Stewardship Scheme was launched by the Countryside Commission in 1991 and before its transfer to the Ministry of Agriculture in April 1996, underwent a socioeconomic evaluation. This study looked at the impact on income and employment both on the farm and in the wider local and national context, using a stratified sample survey in conjunction with national and regional input‐output models. Case study areas were chosen in Norfolk, Devon and Derbyshire, and by interviewing local businesses, and analysing farm accounts, a clearer picture of the spatial distribution of income and employment effects was obtained. In overview, the quantitative effect of the scheme on income and employment appears negligible or mildly positive: however, there are marked distributional effects. The negative impact is most likely to be dissipated in larger urban centres and among capital‐intensive agricultural supply and food industries, while the positive effects tend to be concentrated in rural areas.