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The social goals of agriculture

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  • Paul Thompson

Abstract

An analysis of social goals for agriculture presupposes an account of systematic interactions among economic, political, and ecological forces that influence the performance of agriculture in a given society. This account must identify functional performance criteria that lend themselves to interpretation as normative or ethical goals. Individuals who act within the system pursue personal goals. Although individual acts and decisions help satisfy functional performance criteria, individuals may never conceptualize or understand these criteria, and, hence, social goals for agriculture may not be intentionally sought or desired by any human being. The statement of social goals is not, therefore, reducible to statements about individual desires and preferences, and the validity of social goals does not depend upon deriving a social welfare function, nor upon measuring interpersonal utility. The paper examines a series of strategies for defining social goals for agriculture, beginning with the statement of goals offered by William Aiken in 1983. Aiken's view stresses individually based constraints upon action, but social goals cannot be adequately defined on this view. Successively more adequate approaches to the problem of social goals are examined with respect to production and efficiency, Jeffersonian democracy, and ecosystem goals of community and self-reliance. The role of family farms, and the change in farm structure is evaluated in light of this analysis for social goals. Copyright Kluwer Academic Publishers 1986

Suggested Citation

  • Paul Thompson, 1986. "The social goals of agriculture," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 3(4), pages 32-42, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:agrhuv:v:3:y:1986:i:4:p:32-42
    DOI: 10.1007/BF01535483
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Eliana Catia Gentilucci, 2015. "L?agricoltura civile e l?economia civile. Un modello italo-mediterraneo," AGRICOLTURA ISTITUZIONI MERCATI, FrancoAngeli Editore, vol. 2015(1), pages 87-106.
    2. Nyaupane, Narayan & Gillespie, Jeffrey & Ken, McMillin, 2014. "Goal Structure of U.S. Meat Goat Producers: Is Farm Performance Consistent with the Goals?," 2014 Annual Meeting, February 1-4, 2014, Dallas, Texas 162502, Southern Agricultural Economics Association.
    3. Richard F. Kazmierczak & David W. Hughes, 1997. "Reasonable Value and the Role of Negotiation in Agriculture's Use of the Environment," Review of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 19(1), pages 108-121.
    4. Gerry Walter, 1992. "Communication and sustainable agriculture: Building agendas for research and practice," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 9(2), pages 27-37, March.
    5. Douglas H. Constance, 2023. "The doctors of agrifood studies," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 40(1), pages 31-43, March.
    6. Cornelissen, A.M.G. & van den Berg, J.H. & Koops, W.J. & Kaymak, U., 2002. "Eliciting Expert Knowledge for Fuzzy Evaluation of Agricultural Production Systems," ERIM Report Series Research in Management ERS-2002-108-LIS, Erasmus Research Institute of Management (ERIM), ERIM is the joint research institute of the Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University and the Erasmus School of Economics (ESE) at Erasmus University Rotterdam.
    7. Jeffrey Gillespie & Ashok Mishra, 2011. "Off‐farm employment and reasons for entering farming as determinants of production enterprise selection in US agriculture," Australian Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society, vol. 55(3), pages 411-428, July.
    8. Ellis, John R. & Hughes, David W. & Butcher, Walter R., 1991. "Economic Modeling Of Farm Production And Conservation Decisions In Response To Alternative Resource And Environmental Policies," Northeastern Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Northeastern Agricultural and Resource Economics Association, vol. 20(1), pages 1-11, April.
    9. Carolyn Raffensperger & Mora Campbell & Paul Thompson, 1998. "Considering The Spirit of the Soil by Paul B. Thompson," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 15(2), pages 161-176, June.

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