Pour une psychologie du travail agricole : résultats d'une étude psychologique de l'éleveur ovin et applications pédagogiques

The results of a psychological study of the sheep-breeder its application to educational methods - Extension work and development require studies of the human aspects of farming, but farming organisations more or less consciously refuse to consider such studies. Two myths ore kept alive : that of the common inte rests of the wealthy farmer and the poor farmer ; and that of the similarity of the capacities required to run a crop- growing or stock-breeding farm (being a «good producer» and being . a « business-man »). The « poor farmer » on whom stock-breeding largely depends, is led to believe that he provides unskilled, old- fashioned, non-intellectual labour : he must therefore re sign himself to selling his produce at an inordinately low price in comparison with grains. The psychological behaviour of the stock-breeder in his attitude to his work is not well known. In a stock- breeding business, who does what ? In particular what^ does his wife do ? On what kind of balance of their respective roles — often linked to the complementarity of thei r ability — does the success of such a businesse depend ? Are their different capacities specific to one or the other ? A study of the contribution in interest and knowledge on the part of the sheepbreeder was carried out with the collaboration of a group of teen-age trainee-breeders and forty stock-breeders from the Puyde-Dôme. The study enabled the characteristics of their work and the social position of the stockbreeder to be defined. If the interest necessary for this kind of work is lac king, a certain adjustment in their individual behaviour takes place. The flock plays an important part in the psychology of the breeder who must nevertheless reconcile his ambitions, his economic activity, his relationship to the group of which he is a member. Beneath certain psycho-economic levels, the farmer and his family can no longer live « decently », and their mental balance is threatened. The « economics » of the feeling underlying this ba lance is not taken into account by economic analysis and development models. The economic and technical risks are calculated. The psychological risks are forgotten.