Erik Crnkovich is a PhD student interested in identity, ethics, knowledge, and materiality. At the intersection of these themes is his current ESRC funded research project entitled “What does it mean to be a twenty-first century farmer? An ethnography of Scottish agriculture’s ‘just transition’ to sustainable farming”. This project delves into Scotland’s new sustainability-focused agricultural policies to understand how diversification is reshaping farmer identity. It explores how an individual’s identity relates to their vision of the good life; and further how the farm becomes a tool for enacting those values, pursuing those aspirations, and fashioning their identity. By understanding this link between values and farm practice, Erik’s project shows how the values different farmers bring to their businesses are creating new models of sustainability.
