Engagement of new entrants in mountain farming through the lens of generativity: Lack of family farming background and its implications in Alpine Austria and Italy

Abstract

While mountain family farmers rely on cultural, financial and material resources passed on from previous generations, new entrants typically lack such intergenerational amenities. Applying the concept of ‘generativity’ to agriculture prove valuable in examining start-up motives, obstacles, opportunities and impacts regarding generational renewal via newcomers without a family farming background. Following a multilevel approach, we interviewed new entrants, long-established family farmers and members of agricultural organisations in three Alpine regions of Austria and Italy. We illustrate that family farmers primarily care for their farm's continued existence, while new entrants seek autonomy from the agricultural industry, thus transmitting the relevance of agriculture beyond their offspring. At first sight, land access is a major hurdle for new entrants, as agricultural land is reserved for family farmers. By taking over abandoned farms, new entrants escape constraints imposed by previous farming generations, thus facilitating the introduction of novel operating concepts and the regeneration of traditional practices. Consequently, newcomer farms are transforming from previously exclusive production sites into open spaces of exchange that include non-agricultural communities, reconnecting land, production and consumption. We conclude that a lack of family farming ties may foster extra-familial renewal and sustainability in mountain agriculture.