Farm Succession and Transfer - A team approach to supporting farm family-decision making

Abstract: Generational renewal is fundamental to the sustainability and development of global agriculture. However, in an Irish and EU context there has been a marked stagnation of farm transfer to the next generation (Leonard et al., 2019). This can be attributed to issues that lie within farm family households but also due to external forces. Within farm families a host of dilemmas generally appear which can put a strain on family relations and postpone timely action. For those that overcome these obstacles much difficulty can be posed in seeking quality advice on the many policy considerations. At this phase of planning, farm families depend chiefly on the services of their accountant and/or tax advisor, solicitor and for many their agricultural advisor. However each of these professionals has a specific field of knowledge and therefore for a family to build a comprehensive picture of their desired succession route involves meeting with each of these professionals individually in sequence. This fragmented process creates challenges though, for example there can be instances of contradictory advice offered, key information can ‘fall between the cracks’, substantial duplication of advice can occur and the notable time required. Multi actor approaches have been used successfully in many societal situations. Multi actors are underpinned by the involvement of an array of actors that serve to provide a project. Multi actors have proven particularly effective in agriculture by providing a solution to the complexity and multiplicity of rural service provisions (CAP Network, 2023). With this in mind this research examines 1) the issues and difficulties experienced by both farm families and professionals within the succession planning process, 2) the utility of a multi actor team approach, 3) the development and design of a multi actor team approach based on the needs and expectations of both farm families and professionals, 4) the piloting and evaluation of this multi actor team approach.
A three phase approach was adopted in this study. Firstly, an exploratory phase was carried out through surveys which identified the main issues and difficulties experienced by farm families and professionals and whether these actors would engage with a multi actor team approach were it developed. Secondly, a participatory phase, which through the use of interviews and focus groups, contributed to the design and development of the succession team approach and corresponding support tools. Thirdly, an action phase, which through the piloting of the approach enabled the succession team approach to be evaluated under ‘real life’ conditions. The study revealed that intra familial issues continue to complicate planning for succession and that the inefficiencies anticipated of a fragmented advisory service were exemplified. The findings justified the development of a multi actor team approach, one which consisted of phased format. The study identified the need for sufficient preparation by farm families and professionals in advance, and the requirement for a support tool for facilitators. A co-design approach was used in developing this support tool. Upon evaluation of the finalised approach when piloted, findings were encouraging and subsequently a list of recommendations for future attempts compiled.