Regional variation in Scottish pluriactivity: The socio‐economic context for different types of non‐farming activity

Abstract The extent and nature of farm household pluriactivity varies across the different regions of Scotland. This study examines the way in which farm business characteristics and regional socio‐economic conditions influence the uptake of non‐farming activities by farm households. The proportion of farms with on‐farm enterprises in a region is found to be related more strongly to regional opportunities in non‐agricultural markets than to low average farm income or small business size. In contrast, differences in the extent of off‐farm work are found to be higher in regions characterised by low agricultural incomes and where off‐farm work opportunities would be expected to be low (according to commonly used indicators of labour‐market conditions). This was particularly the case in the least urbanised regions. It is concluded that, whilst economic factors are important in determining the take‐up of pluriactivity at the local level, social and cultural determinants are important at a regional scale. Implications for policy targeting are discussed.