ABSTRACT
The farm is still a defining institution of the countryside, dominating its landscape. In some cases, farms understand museum culture better than the museum and are creating quasi-curated spaces for recreation and for selling quality artisanal produce. The mechanisation of the farm has brought consequences for transport, living standards and housing, not to speak of countryside noises, oil consumption, smells, chemical sprays and colours. Certain landscapes and farming methods have also been demonstrated to be unexpectedly compatible with biodiversity. The farm has become one of the most controversial institutions of the countryside, and mistrust of its business is compounded by people's ignorance of what the farmer might be planning for the next season, as well as unease about GM crops, pesticides and other agrochemicals. The new category of 'farm lit' in the United States might even signal a change in attitudes or a turn-round in farming fortunes.
