THE SOCIOECONOMIC EFFECTS OF THE COUNTRYSIDE STEWARDSHIP SCHEME

The Countryside Stewardship Scheme was launched by the Countryside com mission in 1991 and before its transfer to the Ministry of Agriculture in April 1996, underwent a socio-economic evaluation. This study look ed at the impact on income and employment both on the farm and in the wider local and national context, using a stratified sample survey in conjunction with national and regional input-output models. Case study areas were chosen in Norfolk, Devon and Derbyshire, and by interviewi ng local businesses, and analysing farm accounts, a clearer picture of the spatial distribution of income and employment effects was obtaine d. In overview, the quantitative effect of the scheme on income and em ployment appears negligible on mildly positive: however, there are mar ked distributional effects. The negative impact is most likely to be d issipated in larger urban centres and among capital-intensive agricult ural supply and food industries, while the positive effects tend to be concentrated in rural areas.