Views and opinions of farmers and consumers on the trajectory of agriculture in times of military conflict: insights from a Q-study in Germany

Abstract

After three decades of orienting agriculture towards ecological and social sustainability goals, the Ukraine war catapulted productivity and supply goals back onto the political agenda. Against this background, the present study aimed to establish how farmers and food consumers envision the future of agriculture. Application of Q-Methodology revealed three opinion groups for both farmers and consumers. In conclusion, the Ukraine war has not significantly shifted the balance between old and new societal demands on agriculture. Old discrepancies in the views of farmers and the non-farming population persist. While among the farmers surveyed the group of those who adhere to “business as usual” predominates, there is no group among the consumers surveyed who share this view. Rather, there is a majority desire among consumers for the sector to continue to be aligned with sustainability goals. Security of supply is only an issue for a small proportion of the consumers surveyed.