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Contrasts and Commonalities: Hispanic and Anglo Farming in Conejos County, Colorado
Author(s) -
Gutierrez Paul,
Eckert Jerry
Publication year - 1991
Publication title -
rural sociology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.083
H-Index - 65
eISSN - 1549-0831
pISSN - 0036-0112
DOI - 10.1111/j.1549-0831.1991.tb00435.x
Subject(s) - agriculture , livestock , population , ethnic group , resource (disambiguation) , agricultural economics , geography , socioeconomics , business , agricultural science , economics , demography , sociology , forestry , computer network , environmental science , archaeology , computer science , anthropology
The San Luis Valley farming systems' project sought to identify improved technologies and better decision‐making capabilities for modest‐sized and limited‐resource farms. Characteristics of limited‐resource farms operated by Hispanic and Anglo families, which may or may not be associated with differential rates of social participation and/or institutional discrimination, were examined. To determine characteristics of client farms, data were collected and stratified on farm resources, farm operations, goal hierarchies, and operational management strategies. Hispanic and Anglo farmers differed significantly in several respects. Key among these differences were crop and livestock enterprise mixes and the importance of off‐farm income to households. For many farming parameters, farm size, age of farmer, and full‐time/part‐time characteristics overshadowed ethnicity as a determinant of decision‐making. However, an important subset of the farm population is composed of Hispanic farmers who operate below median farm acreage on a part‐time basis and for whom few technological developments or assistance programs are specifically designed or delivered.