Covid Legacy and Trust Issues Limit Technology Sharing on Upland Farms
Published
The effects of the Covid-19 pandemic are still being felt in upland farming communities in Ireland. One area where this is visible is the sharing of technology and equipment between farmers. Before the pandemic, many farmers in these areas shared machinery and tools to save money and work together. Now, some of this cooperation has become less common.
Upland farms often face particular challenges. They are usually located in hilly or mountainous areas, where land can be harder to work and where equipment is expensive to buy and maintain. For this reason, sharing machines and new farm technology can be a practical way for farmers to reduce costs. However, the pandemic changed how people interacted with each other, and many of those habits have not fully returned. Some farmers are now more cautious about lending or borrowing equipment.
Trust is also an important part of the problem. Sharing equipment requires farmers to rely on one another, to look after each other's property, and to organise its use fairly. When trust between neighbours is weaker, it becomes harder to set up these arrangements. Because of this, the rebuilding of community links may be as important as the technology itself if upland farmers want to share resources more widely in the future.
Sources: Agriland
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