Family farm

The family farm is a farm owned and operated by a family, and passed down from generation to generation. It is the basic unit of the mostly-agricultural economy of much of human history and continues to be so in developing nations. Alternatives to family farms include those run by agribusiness or by collective farming.

Related Topics:
Farm - Family - Generation - Economy - Human - History - Developing nations - Agribusiness - Collective farming

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In developed nations the family farm is viewed sentimentally, as a lifestyle to be preserved for tradition's sake, or as a birthright. It is in these nations very often a political rallying cry, against change in agricultural policy, most commonly in France, Japan, and the United States, where rural lifestyles are often regarded as desirable. In these countries, "strange bedfellows" can often be found arguing for similar measures despite otherwise vast differences in political ideology. For example, Patrick Buchanan and Ralph Nader, both candidates for the office of President of the United States, held rural rallies together and spoke for measures to preserve the so-called family farm. On other economic matters they were seen as generally opposed, but found common ground on this one.

Related Topics:
Developed nations - Lifestyle - Tradition - Birthright - Political - Agricultural policy - France - Japan - United States - Political ideology - Patrick Buchanan - Ralph Nader - President of the United States - Rallies

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Many view the family farm as a political ideal. Notable movements of this sort are primitivism, survivalism, some agrarian forms of isolationism, rural secession movements, and eco-anarchism. It may be easier to list the opponents of the family farm concept, notably those who promote large-scale agribusiness. The Big Agriculture approach, known to its critics as corporate farming, is in many ways the opposite of family farm ideals, by promoting corporate control of land and seed, and the unlimited application of centralized technologies.

Related Topics:
Primitivism - Survivalism - Isolationism - Rural secession - Eco-anarchism - Agribusiness - Corporate farming - Technologies

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Bolder promoters argue that agriculture has become more efficient with the application of modern management and new technologies in each generation, and that family farms are now simply "obsolete".

Related Topics:
Management - Generation

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However, that is an unpopular view. Purchasing organic farm products from local family farms is viewed by many as a form of moral purchasing, a choice to not rely on larger systems of corporate investment, land management, transport, and advertising. The current spiking of interest in locally grown food furthers this trend.

Related Topics:
Organic farm - Moral purchasing - Corporate - Investment - Advertising - Locally grown food - Trend

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Advocates of safe trade argue that the spread of genetically modified food is inevitable if local knowledge of local families is removed from the practicing agricultural community. Advocates of fair trade argue that family farms in all nations need to be protected, as the basis of rural society and social stability.

Related Topics:
Safe trade - Genetically modified food - Fair trade

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