PR - FARMERS’ OCCUPATIONAL ATTITUDES AND FINANCIAL SITUATION IN THE SWISS MOUNTAIN REGION

Abstract:
Based on three data sources, namely tax declaration, structural data and a survey, we investigate the relation between farmers’ occupational attitudes and financial and structural indicators. 127 observations are available from the Canton of Obwalden, a Swiss province in the mountain region. A factor and a correlation analysis are carried out. The results show a clear correlation between the perception of the financial situation and the actual household or total income. Conversely, there is no significant correlation between the actual agricultural income and the perceived financial situation. Furthermore, farmers with high agricultural income tend to put a relatively higher focus on operating goals such as improving productivity than farmers with low agricultural income.
Keywords: family farm, income, perceived financial situation, mountain region, Switzerland