Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.

The aims of this study were to determine the following: Are geography, attitudes and traditional practices still influences on environmentally friendly farming? What role do agri-environment policies have in influencing environmentally friendly farming? What role do food marketing arrangements have in influencing environmentally friendly farming? Can farming policies and marketing arrangements be improved so as to help farmers, conservation, and food consumer choice in parallel?

Main Topics:

The dataset contains the responses of the farmers surveyed. The detailed questions refer to: farm land characteristics; type of production system; social and economic characteristics of the farmer and the farm; tenure arrangements; the use of subsidies and agri-environment schemes; future plans for the farm; details of the farm management system; details of how farm produce is sold and/or processed. More detailed information about farm produce includes: what products are sold; what products if any are processed; what and where are the most important direct sales outlets; when was direct selling started; ease of attracting customers; use of labelling; membership of trade organisations; estimation of quality as a factor in attracting customers; percentage of sales, and percentage of profits from direct selling; why was direct selling started; has direct selling been considered and rejected and if so, why; does direct selling help the environment.

No sampling (total universe)

Volunteer sample

Convenience sample

A list of virtually all farmers who sold produce direct in each of the five regions was drawn up from a variety of sources. A convenience sample of non-direct selling farmers, thought to be 'typical' farmers in the same five regions was obtained by 'snowballing' - names were suggested by the direct-selling farmers in the other sample.

Face-to-face interview