2. Literature
Farm structure and scale theories are used to frame this study
using a modified mental models and analysis of risk based decisionmaking
research methodology. Farm structure concepts describe
implicit relationships among land, labor, and capital, which are
interrelated with management practices and decision-making activities
that include crop selection, farm size, marketing strategies,
and equipment purchases. Produce growers' perceptions and beliefs
(i.e. their mental models) shape and are shaped by this
structure, influencing their agendas through multiple interrelated
factors, which, taken together are important to understanding their
food safety decision-making.
2.1. Scale
Farm scale is a well-documented influence on the adoption of
innovations including conservation practices, adoption of difficult
or complex technologies, and other land use decision-making
(Salamon et al., 1998; Ilbery and Bowler, 1998; Burton and
Walford, 2005). In addition to acreage, farm income is an important
measure of farm scale (Lund and Price, 1998).