A Structural Equation Model of the Economic and Lifestyle Motives of Small-Scale Farmers in Illinois
Schroeder, Emily Harper
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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/71000
Description
Title
A Structural Equation Model of the Economic and Lifestyle Motives of Small-Scale Farmers in Illinois
Author(s)
Schroeder, Emily Harper
Issue Date
1984
Department of Study
Sociology
Discipline
Sociology
Degree Granting Institution
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Degree Name
Ph.D.
Degree Level
Dissertation
Keyword(s)
Sociology, General
Abstract
Using survey data from Illinois, this study examines the factors which contribute to small-scale farmers' economic and lifestyle motives for farming. A conceptual definition of "lifestyle" is translated into measures of motives for farming, which are then used in a structural equation model. The major hypothesis is that for small-scale farmers, farming is a form of consumption rather than production. This hypothesis is based on the theory that lifestyle is an expressive behavior aimed at obtaining reference group membership from which social status is derived. For small-scale farmers it is suggested that their farm activities represent an attempt to fulfill an image of themselves as "farmer", even though their occupational identity is with their nonfarm employment. Farm background and life cycle stage are hypothesized to be important determinants of both economic and lifestyle motives for farming.
Factor analyses are used to construct the measures of lifestyle and economic motives which are the dependent variables in the model. Two measures of lifestyle motivation are identified and described as (1) status enhancement, and (2) work role gratifications; two measures of economic motivation are also identified and described as (1) profit motives and (2) investment motives.
The results of the analysis contradict the hypothesis that economic motives detract from the lifestyle motives of small-scale farmers. Farming for this sample is both a means of production and consumption. The general conclusion of the analysis is that there is a mutually reinforcing relationship between small-scale farmers' economic and lifestyle motives, which may be a necessary condition for the persistence of these farms. A new policy perspective toward small-scale agriculture is recommended which would take into account the lifestyle dimensions of farming.
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