Understanding the drivers and motivations of farm diversification: Evidence from Northern Ireland using a mixed methods approach

Publication history: Accepted - 28 October;Farmers are increasingly required to become more productive and innovative to ensure effective 9 management of farm resources and to improve their livelihoods. Farm diversification has been 10 identified as a viable strategy that can be adopted by farm businesses to achieve these objectives 11 in order to reduce their reliance on agricultural production as the main source of household 12 income. In this study, we employ a mixed methods approach to analyse the factors influencing 13 farm diversification and diversification strategies in Northern Ireland. The challenges of setting 14 up a farm diversification enterprise were also explored. Data collection and analysis were 15 undertaken by combining both quantitative and qualitative approaches in a two-stage process 16 using primary data obtained from a survey of farm businesses and interviews with key 17 stakeholders involved in the Northern Ireland agricultural sector. The study results show that the 18 primary motivating factor in pursuing farm-level diversification is the need to generate additional 19 income. The analysis has shown that farm level diversification has the capacity to contribute to 20 both the sustainability of family farms and the wider rural economy. The study results support 21 the need for governments to explore the development of policy measures to support 22 diversification at farm level