ABSTRACT:
Finding ways of helping farmers and non farm neighbors peacefully coexist is important for both farm families and their neighbors. Understanding neighbors' concerns, and how they are expressed is a necessary element to preventing conflict between farmers and their neighbors. This study uses a phone survey of 601 neighbors of mushroom farms in Chester County, Pennsylvania to examine neighbors' perspectives on farm/non farm conflict. About 23% of non farm neighbors had a concern about mushroom farms, and about half of these voiced their concern to someone. They were most likely to do so to other neighbors and the least likely to do so directly to the farmer. Yet non farm neighbors who voiced their concerns directly to farmers were the most likely to feel steps were taken to remedy their concerns. This result strengthens the argument that encouraging more direct communication between farmers and their neighbors will help reduce conflict.
Footnotes
Timothy W. Kelsey is associate professor of Agricultural Econonics at The Pennsylvania State University. Gregory Vaserstein is project assistant at The Pennsylvania State University.
- Copyright 2000 by the Soil and Water Conservation Society
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