Oral histories, farm practice and uncovering meaning in the countryside

Abstract

Building on recent analyses of 'heterogenous agri-cultures' this paper considers the potential of an oral history approach to explore the geographies of farming cultures and the processes of agricultural and landscape change. Drawing on case studies from the Peak District and Devon (UK) the paper advocates a less mechanistic methodological approach that taps into oral histories and offer a more nuanced appreciation of this change 'from the ground'. The understandings embedded within these oral histories are investigated with attention given to how these may contribute to recent discussions of the role of farmers' knowledge(s) in the current and future management of the countryside.