Elsevier

World Development

Volume 87, November 2016, Pages 1-15
World Development

The State of Family Farms in the World

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2015.05.012Get rights and content
Under a Creative Commons license
open access

Highlights

  • Development of a methodological approach to characterize global Family farm sector.

  • Family farms constitute over 98% of all farms.

  • Family farms manage 53% of agricultural land.

  • Family farms meet 36–114% of the domestic caloric requirements.

  • Case studies of Brazil and Malawi demonstrate diverse range of policy approaches, in relation to policy best practice.

Summary

2014 was the United Nations’ International Year of Family Farming, yet the importance of family farming for global food security is still surprisingly poorly documented. In a review of agricultural census data, we find that globally family farms constitute over 98% of all farms, and work on 53% of agricultural land. Across distinct contexts, family farming plays a critical role for global food production. We present two examples of policy approaches toward family farmers—Brazil and Malawi—to provide insight into some of the complexities and challenges behind the global numbers.

Key words

family farming
smallholder agriculture
Brazil
Malawi
food and nutrition security
sustainable development

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