The Importance of Next Generation Farmers: A Conceptual Framework to Bring the Potential Successor into Focus

Journal ArticleThis is the peer reviewed version of the article, which has been published in final form at DOI: 10.1111/gec3.12131. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Self-Archiving.Intergenerational succession is understood as an integral facet of the family farm. The importance of the succession process and more specifically, successor identification, are critically discussed in the context of the widely propagated projections of global population growth and associated demands on the agricultural sector. Having established the merits of successor identification, the article then highlights the absence of the 'potential successor' from contemporary research and continues by offering a conceptual framework, capable of bringing this important research subject into focus as an autonomous and valuable actor, which, given the anticipated renaissance in agriculture, is perhaps now, more important than ever. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd