This presentation was based on a forthcoming article to be presented in December but augmented with a number of other elements. The article has been accepted it
Title: The multi-scalar challenges faced by farming in Wales, will the future Welsh Agricultural Policy suffice on its own to attain a sustainable agricultural sector.
Abstract: Welsh farming is facing many challenges at extremely different scales that have appeared gradually through the agrarian history. I discovered and analyzed those gradually during 3 years of intensive fieldwork using an integrative and multi-disciplinary research tool, the agrarian diagnosis, combining farming sciences to social sciences to understand farming functioning in 4 representative small agricultural areas of Wales. We can split them in 3 categories, inherent operating constraint for Welsh farms (environment, history or political system), long-term structural issues for the sector including Brexit and the associated policy changes (trade, farming) and finally short-term challenges linked to the successive shocks faced since 2020. We explored what it meant for Welsh farm archetypes obtained from the fieldwork, many farms are in danger and there is a high risk of sector-wide fast changes. The end of the CAP subsidies is in sight while farming support scheme are still being developed, the Welsh government aims at delivering a Sustainable Farming Scheme, a threat, and an opportunity at the same time. By comparing it to other western world policies and looking at the change necessary on some farm archetypes with a farm operation scope we deducted that the policy will enact some change but could also fail short of several of its goals and that there were some delivery challenges. Additionally, it might not support well the farms that will attain the highest benefits in 2 of the three pillars.
Update of the 19/10/2022, the paper has been accepted, now I need to enact some of the reviewers comment. The paper will be presented at the French Society of Rural Economy in December.
Théo Lenormand 10/22
