A socio-economic survey visited 295 Grampian farms in 1991 to determine the extent of involvement in non-agricultural activities by farm households, a phenomenon known as 'pluriactivity'. Pluriactivity includes work off the farm as well as non-agricultural activities on the farm (e.g. Bed & Breakfasts, caravan sites, farm shops etc.). The uptake of pluriactivity was found to be increasing, having trebled between 1980 and 1990 and doubling between 1987 and 1990. Seventy-one farms were selected for field survey work from the socio-economic sample. This smaller sample was stratified along a range of environmental conditions and according to their non-involvement or type of involvement in pluriactivity - whether off the farm, on the farm or both. A field survey obtained data on the extents of different vegetation cover types within each farm group and on the species composition of their grasslands. Data on grassland management were also obtained through an interview with the farmer. Although each farm group varied, pluriactive farm households were generally younger, better educated and were generally associated with greater diversities of habitats and grassland species. However, the life history strategy composition (<I>sensu</I> Grime, 1974) of grassland communities indicated only small variations in land management intensity although the quality of ingressing grassland species varied between the farm groups. Multiple regression analyses and correlations indicated that the underlying socio-economic differences between the groups were as likely as the involvement in pluriactivity to account for the variations in grassland species diversity. Predictions on future changes on Grampian farmland indicate that both habitat and species diversities will increase but that this will be more a reflection of changing socio-economic structures of farm household populations rather than an increasing uptake of and involvement in pluriactivity.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:649999 |
| Date | January 1994 |
| Creators | Ellis, Noranne E. |
| Publisher | University of Edinburgh |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Source | http://hdl.handle.net/1842/13793 |
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