Uk Vining Pea Growers‘ and Freezers’ Responses to Potential Global Warming

Global warming from anthropogenic emissions of ‘greenhouse gases’ is expected to become apparent and this will impact upon existing agricultural production and farm management systems. At the same time, farm businesses are becoming increasingly integrated into a food production system whereby on‐farm production is, in the case of some agricultural products, greatly influenced by external agencies such as food processing companies. This article uses a study of both farmers and agencies in Lincolnshire and Humberside who are involved with vining pea production for the frozen pea market to explore the nature of the farmer‐processor relationship and to examine the implications of this for the adaptation of vining pea production to the imposition of global warming. It is concluded that change at the farm level will be largely externally driven, that die attitudes of powerful individuals within external agencies will strongly influence the direction of change, and that the attitudes of farmers towards global warming and change are of less relevance in die case of adjustment in vining pea production. This has implications for die management of change, not just in response to global warning but also in response to other types of change which are long term and uncertain.