Farming on the margins : Just transition and the resilience of peripheral farms

Abstract

Sustainability transition demands fundamental changes taking place at the farm system level. At the same time, many farms are operating on the verge of financial profitability, especially in geographically disadvantaged peripheral regions with a limited range of production opportunities. These observations raise concerns about the transition's justice aspects. Using the concept of resilience, we analysed farmers’ capacities for transformation in a peripheral context in Finland. The results from our farmer survey (n = 577) indicated that the regime exerts a strong cost-price squeeze on farmers, escaping of which is difficult also for farmers deliberately seeking new pathways beyond it. Due to farmers’ dependence on the regime, drastic changes to ‘the rules of the game’ could undermine their resilience. We argue that for transition processes to be both sustainable and just, proactive restorative justice should aim at promoting resilience at the farm level by deliberately building inclusive and accessible transition pathways.