’Beyond analysing the changing role of agriculture and the future prospects of the farming sector, the book provides valuable insights into the history and antecedents of peasant societies in diverse European countries...The result is a thought-provoking study about the shifting rural environment in Europe, which may serve both as a challenge and guide to scholars, planners and policy-makers.’ Journal of Rural Cooperation ’...this book is well produced...it makes an extremely valuable contribution to the rural debate in contemporary Europe.’ Geography