Finding ‘Hobby’ Farmers: A ‘Parish Study’ Methodology for Qualitative Research

Abstract

This paper presents a methodology for undertaking research with a ‘difficult to reach population’ – hobby farmers. In an investigation designed to assess agrarian transition processes in a peri-urban locale, data was sought on every agricultural holding in a Scottish parish (municipality). This ‘parish study’ methodology combined participant mapping and qualitative interviewing with photo elicitation. Participant mapping was found to be useful for identifying farmers who are not normally included in rural social research, leading to a high response rate and a respondent pool for photo elicitation. The method also enabled the analysis of agrarian identity and land use. However, the parish study method is not suited to studies of dispersed groups and is more resource intensive than standard qualitative interview-based studies. A number of ethical and EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) issues also arise around identifying participants, mapping, photos and incentivising participation in the research. The utility of the parish study method is demonstrated through two key findings of the research: the problematic definition of ‘hobby farmers’ in the study site and the trajectories towards de facto land abandonment in a peri-urban locale.