types of economies. As a result, small family farm- ers can prosper either through a “move up” or a “move out” strategy. While some small farmers have the potential to undertake profitable commer- cial activities in the agricultural sector and expand their farm operation, others should be supported in exiting agriculture and seeking nonfarm employ- ment opportunities.
FAMILY FARMS ARE DIVERSE IN SIZE AND CHARACTERISTICS
Tere are 570 million farms in the world. Approxi- mately three-quarters of the world’s farms are located in Asia, and 60 percent of these can be found in just two countries: China and India.2 A closer look
at the characteristics of the world’s farms reveals a multifaceted portfolio with implications for global food security and nutrition. Agriculture is predom- inately a family activity: an overwhelming major- ity (more than 90 percent) of the world’s farms are family farms. Tis means that these farms are owned, managed, or operated by family members who also provide a minimum share of farm labor. Family farms cultivate a large portion of global farmland (about 75 percent on average) and produce 80 percent of the world’s food.3 Te share of land held by family farms varies across regions, ranging from 85 percent in Asia and 62 percent in Africa south of the Sahara to 18 percent in South America (Figure 1). Te majority of the world’s farms are small. Tere is a significant overlap between small farms and
FIGURE 1 Distribution of land held by family farms and average farm size by region
18% 83% NORTH & CENTRAL AMERICA 117.8 SOUTH AMERICA 74.4 12.4 2.2 1.0 AVERAGE FARM SIZE IN HECTARES
Sources: Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations, Family Farmers: Feeding the World, Caring for the Earth, infographic, 2014, www.fao/ org/resources/infographics/infographics-details/en/c/230925; FAO, 2000 World Census of Agriculture: Analysis and International Comparison of the Results (1996–2005) (Rome, 2013),
www.fao.org/fileadmin/templates/ess/ess_test_folder/World_Census_Agriculture/Publications/WCA_2000/Census13.pdf.
26 HELPINGSMALL FAMILYFARMERS TO MOVE UPORMOVEOUT EUROPE AFRICA
% of farmland CULTIVATED BY FAMILY FARMERS
68% 62%
85%
ASIA
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