Tied to the land: How resource redeployment and place identity shape each other in a small farm business

Abstract

This paper examines the central role of place identity in shaping strategic decision-making in small farm business. Drawing on a 60-year longitudinal case study of a Finnish family farm, we explore how farm owners’ emotional and symbolic attachment to land influences, and is influenced by, resource redeployment over time. Place identity emerges not as a fixed attribute but as a dynamic construct that evolves through generational shifts, external pressures, and strategic adaptation. Our findings show that resource redeployment serves both economic and identity-related purposes. Decisions are not driven solely by profitability but are often delayed, negotiated, or reoriented to preserve continuity and meaning. In this context, land is more than a productive resource; it embodies memory, legacy, and collective identity. We contribute to the literature on rural entrepreneurship, small business strategy, and family firms by demonstrating how place identity acts as both an anchor and a driver of strategic renewal. The study offers a contextualized understanding of how deeply rooted emotional ties to place shape resource redeployment in ways that extend beyond economic logic, supporting business resilience across generations.