ABSTRACT
The previous three chapters have explored the factors that influence the type of farming carried out in the Argolid Valley. These have been classified under the headings of the bio-physical characteristics of the land that is farmed and the condition of natural resources on that land, the technology that has been employed to support agricultural activity and the socio-economic characteristics of agriculture in the area. Attention has also been given to the institutional arrangements that are in place to manage different aspects of agricultural activity (i.e. co-operatives, local and central government). What has not been fully considered is the uncertainty that is perceived by farmers and the behaviours that they anticipate in response to that uncertainty. This chapter will draw upon data obtained from the field work interviews with farmers about the conditions of risk and uncertainty that pertained in the early part of this decade (i.e. low rainfall, degraded resource base, levels of price support) and will update these in the context of current concerns (i.e. future of price support and market competition).1 This analysis will then be combined with that of the previous chapters to establish a framework within which cropping decisions are made and to put forward a provisional taxonomy of farmers and their decision space.
