The farmer I want to be: farmers’ role identity in multifunctional agricultural landscapes

Abstract Farmers (are expected to) fulfil diverse economic, environmental, and social roles or functions. Yet the relative importance of these functions remains contested both within farming communities and in the broader society. Understanding how farmers prioritize these different functions as a reflection of their role identity is crucial, given the increasing recognition of the importance of identity as a determinant of farmer behaviour. We frame this aspect of farmer identity in terms of multifunctionality, a common lens for analysing the performance of agriculture relative to societal demands. However, while this concept is often used with an ecological focus, our study builds on a broader interpretation that encompasses the full range of social, cultural, economic, and ecological functions. Furthermore, we focus on the roles farmers themselves would like to play when looking 10 to 20 years into the future. We apply Q methodology to see how farmers from Eastern Germany prioritize among 71 societal functions. We use the Q sorts and qualitative data to derive and characterize a typology of three narrative perspectives. The results demonstrate the breadth and heterogeneity of farmers’ role identity, and therefore the need to go beyond a narrow focus on ecological roles or functions.