UK VINING PEA GROWERS AND FREEZERS RESPONSES TO POTENTIAL GLOBAL WARMING

Global warming from anthropogenic emissions of 'greenhouse gases' is e xpected to become apparent and this will impact upon existing agricult ural production and farm management systems. At the same time, farm bu sinesses are becoming increasingly integrated into a food production s ystem whereby on-farm production is, in the case of some agricultural products, greatly influenced by external agencies such as food process ing companies. This article uses a study of both farmers and agencies in Lincolnshire and Humberside who are involved with vining pea produc tion for the frozen pea market to explore the nature of the farmer-pro cessor relationship and to examine the implications of this for the ad aptation of vining pea production to the imposition of global warming. It is concluded that change at the farm level will be largely externa lly driven, that the attitudes of powerful individuals within external agencies will strongly influence the direction of change, and that th e attitudes of farmers towards global warming and change are of less r elevance in the case of adjustment in vining pea production. This has implications for the management of change, not just in response to glo bal warming but also in response to other types of change which are lo ng term and uncertain.