Farm Household Participation in Agricultural Policy Decision Making

This paper draws a picture of participation by farm households in agricultural policy-making. In particular, it analyses: 1. the extent of farm household participation, and 2. the profile of those who participate. Further analysis of the data is clearly needed before a useful causal model can be developed. Nevertheless, several broad conclusions can be advanced. Participation by farm households in the public domain is associated with: • higher income • larger farm business size • specialist dairying • more intensive farm management • education • specialisation in farming as the main income source. In general, participation seems to be directly related to risk-taking.