F. (Floor) Groefsema, MA

My research focuses on the process of succession among farming families. Although the number of farms decreased considerably throughout the post-war period, the family farm remained the dominant form of farm organization in the European Union. Traditionally, the family farm has been the cornerstone of the agricultural production system in Northwest Europe, but its adaptability to this increased competition and intensification of agriculture has been widely questioned. Through the lens of succession, this project aims to illuminate important drivers of family farm resilience. 

During the succession phase, the farm is gradually handed over to the next generation, which involves a wide range of considerations and interests that need to be negotiated within the family. In order to assess how this process has changed during the postwar period, semi-structured interviews are conducted to bring family interaction and individual experiences into focus. To contextualize these experiences, the interview material is interpreted in a comparative framework comprised of two regional case studies: Uppland in Sweden and the Achterhoek in the Netherlands.