Retired but responsible: Social position and constraints of the “old” generation on family farms. A Swiss case study

Farm transfer is a critical moment for family farming. Farms are often handed over in a continuous process, which includes inheritance, succession and retirement. On Swiss family farms, it is not retirement but the handing over of the farm that has a major impact on the elder generation’s life. This study aims to analyse the shift in responsibilities of the elder generation and how workload and responsibilities adapt to the social and physical situation of the elder generation. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with six farming couples, one male farmer, one female farmer, and one widowed farmer’s wife in the Swiss cantons of Bern and Fribourg. All but one family still lives on the farm, all interviewees still work on the farm and assume responsibility in many ways. This paper shows that responsibilities for farm management and legal issues are mostly handed over to the younger generation, but not work. Responsibility in terms of work, emotions and contributions assumed on the farm by the elder generation can be clustered along five dimensions: a) financial responsibility, b) responsibility for “traditions”, c) forced responsibility, d) loss of responsibility, and e) self-responsibility. Assuming responsibility is perceived both as a burden – when farmers face too hard physical work or are anxious about the viability of the farm – but also as an asset allowing the elder generation to stay on the farm and have a fulfilled life with a daily structure and involvement in farming family life. We describe general underlying shifts when it comes to changes in responsibilities: an initial shift from urgent tasks to support in on-going tasks; a second shift from “big farming” with cattle, arable land and a big home to “small farming” with chicken, vegetable garden and a small home; a third shift from public representation to a stand-by position in the background; and finally, a shift from caring for the farm to caring for oneself, especially in terms of health and recreation. Finally, we raise the question of the drivers for continuous involvement: Is it solidarity? Altruism or egoism?