Small Farm Definition and Public Policy

Abstract

Even the most casual review of literature suggests that there are numerous definitions of small farm. Range in definitions varies from acres of land, units of livestock, value of farm products sold, days worked off-farm, level of farm income, to level of total family income [3]. Many authors combine two or more of these classificatio ns to arrive at a more limited definition. Some authors even display wisdom by not attempting to specifically define what they mean by small farms. It becomes clear that the small farm is not precisely defined either within the agricultural research community or for the general public. As William W. Wood recently points out "Small becomes less a descriptive term than it is a philosophical one. .. . Policy objectives and small-farm categories are interrelated, and they are identified on the basis of the concerns of interested parties or participants" [6]. Public discussion of small-farm issues is also confounded by a lingering set of beliefs about farming-some of which may no longer be valid. These beliefs include: 1 , o The economic performance of the farm establishment is an accurate reflection of the economic well-being of the farm family. o Small farms are problems while family farms have problems. Images of the family farm are inherently positive while images of the small farm are inherently negative.

The Persistence of the Black Farmer: The Contemporary Relevance of the Lenin‐Chayanov Debate1

“…Results show that demographic (age, education, and household size) and socioeconomic (land tenure, debt, and income) variables are causally important for the success and survival of black smallholders. This is consistent with other North American studies which find that both socioeconomic and demographic characteristics are important dimensions along which smallholders vary (Buttel 1981;Carlin and Crecink 1979;Tweeten et al 1980). Some scholars use these variables to develop typologies of smallholders, for example, full-time, part-time, and aged (Barlett 1984).…”

Common Agricultural Policy support, technical efficiency and productivity change in French agriculture

“…In agriculture, there is no consensus on a single indicator for farm size, since it depends on the types of production and technology used on the farm (Carlin and Crecink, 1979;Lund, 1983). For this reason, three farm clusters are created on the basis of four size indicators: 6 UAA; total labour used on the farm; number of livestock equivalent units on the farm; and the value of fixed assets in real terms.…”

Cluster analysis and typology construction; the case of small‐scale tobacco farmers: A research note

“…Some research has focused on developing an adequate definition of a "small farmer" (Carlin and Crecink 1979;Madden and Tischbein 1979). Others have emphasized the degree of heterogeneity within the small farm sector (Trank and Brinkman 1979;Heffernan, Green, Lasley and Noland 1982).…”