Social capital in hill farming: report for the International Centre for the Uplands, Penrith, Cumbria

The following work is based on a survey of upland farmers in Cumbria in 2004/2005. This involved interviews with 44 local farm families – 8 of which were repeated at a later date to discuss issues that arose from the public survey. The majority of interviews included spouses/business partners and some potential successors. To place the issues in a social context, focus groups were held, some involving only members of the farming community and others incorporating other stakeholders from the area. The study was spread across all three main areas of Cumbria – the Lake District, Howgills and Orton Fells, and the Pennines.