Small farms contribute a third of the food consumed in high-income nations

This study constructs a global picture of farmer roles in national food consumption by coupling country-sector-specific agricultural production patterns with agri-food trade data.

The resultant database estimates the contribution of agricultural production by farm size in 5 classes to food consumption in 198 countries and across 209 products. Farm classes were grouped into very-small-scale (≤2 ha), small-scale (>2–20 ha), medium-scale (>20–50 ha), large-scale (>50–200 ha) and very-large-scale (>200 ha).

Key findings:

Although geographically concentrated, very-small-scale (≤2 ha) and small-scale (>2–20 ha) farmers make a considerable contribution to national food consumption across all studied countries.

Notably, they contribute about one-third (31.1%) of the average food consumption in Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries. For non-OECD countries, the contribution of very-small- (≤2 ha) and small-scale (>2–20 ha) farmers is even more pronounced, accounting for nearly half (44.2%) of total consumption on average.

By contrast, large-scale (>50–200 ha) and very-large-scale (>200 ha) farmers play a more substantial role in OECD countries than in non-OECD countries when considering their contribution to food consumption. In OECD countries, farms greater than 50 ha account for 41.3% of total average food consumption, whereas in non-OECD countries, their contribution is lower at 28.3%.

The figure below illustrates the average contribution of farms to national food consumption by region (average percentage).

Average contribution of farms to national food consumption by region (percentage).

By mapping the global footprint of national food systems and incorporating agricultural trade flows, the study is able to more accurately quantify the role small-, medium- and large-scale farms play in national food supply chains.

Findings reveal two dynamics within this context.

First, small farms play a critical role in meeting food needs of high-income nations (for example, the USA, Canada, Australia, the EU-28 and other OECD countries), despite their absence in domestic agricultural systems.

By contrast, countries dominated by small-scale farming (for example, China and India) rely on imports of agricultural products (for example, cereals and oilcrops) from large-scale farms. Both China and India are likely to increase their demand for cereals and oilcrops in the coming years owing to population growth and increased socioeconomic status. This can create additional growth of large-scale and industrialized farms in South and Central America at the likely expense of small-scale farms with more diversified food production.

Implications for policy-making:

The authors stress the need to identify and support farmers operating in and impacted by food supply chains of high-income nations.

By coupling trade information with farm production data, this study offers the capability to identify in which supply chains small-scale farmers are most vulnerable and require targeted support through trade-sensitive policies and support mechanisms.

In terms of policy perspectives, these findings can help high-income nations better understand the impact of policies designed to reduce environmental pressures in their food supply chains.

For example, the European Union’s Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) may demand capacity building to achieve aspects of farm geolocation and product traceability. They stress that this may be accessible to small-scale farms that are involved in cooperatives, are more interconnected and more readily exchange information but could be difficult to achieve for other small-scale farms without these means.

The authors also warn that the ongoing reduction in overseas aid from the OECD (particularly in the USA and Europe) will have serious repercussions for small-scale farmers that produce for these markets owing to declining support for agri-food resilience programmes, like for example, the Agriculture Financing Initiative of the European Union and joint investment by the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organisation and the International Fund for Agricultural Development in farm-level climate resilience.