Background

Small farms dominate agriculture in terms of numbers of producers of agricultural commodities, but a large and rising share of output and factor use is accounted for by larger farms.

The expansion of the EU to the east has brought into the CAP millions of household plots which hardly fit the traditional family-farm model. Land market imperfections and non-monetary preferences of farm operators often hinder structural change and provide grounds for the persistence of the small scale farming. Rather than exiting agriculture, many small farms are diversifying their livelihoods into nonfarm activities and are becoming less reliant on farming.

Within Europe, with the change in the focus of the CAP towards lower production incentives and more environmental types of support the policy response of small farms is an important issue, particularly for some of the New Member States.

Understanding what factors promote or hinder the shift to commercialisation will be critical for assessments of likely future structural change. While the EU faces some unique challenges in managing the structural transformation of its own small farms, still there is much that can be usefully learnt from similar small farm transitions in other parts of the world. Small farms still dominate agriculture in most developing and transition countries, including several fast growing Asian countries. Understanding the roles small farms play in these different contexts, how they are adjusting to similar changes in marketing chains, and how effective different policy approaches have been, can help inform appropriate policies.

Topics for Discussion

The main topics for discussion are:

• Small farms: definitions, trends and livelihood patterns
• Changes in factor/product markets and implications for the future of small scale farming
• Farm scale and economic efficiency: revisiting an old debate
• Subsistence and semi-subsistence farming: modelling and analysis
• Productive, income generating and social role of small farms
• Effects of aging population, migration and human capital on future farm size structure
• Environmental and other non-monetary costs and benefits of small farms
• Small farms policies: instruments and impacts.

Keynote Speakers

• Csaba Csaki Corvinus, University Budapest
• Gertrud Buchenrieder, Leibniz-Institute of Agricultural Development in Central and Eastern Europe, Halle
• Johan Swinnen, Catholic University of Leuven
• Peter Hazell, Imperial College London
• Sophia Davidova, University of Kent

Programme

Provisional Programme

 

Poster Papers

 

• G. Owuor and B. Boclain What influences Price Efficiency in Indigenous Chicken Markets in Africa? Evidence from Smallholder Farmers in Kenya
• C.A Zuniga González Wages and Employment in Non-farm Agricultural Activities: A Livelihood Strategy in Nicaragua.
• G.N. Asumugha, P.M. Kormawa and N.C. de Haan Gender Impacts of Small Farmers’ Commercialization of Ginger (Zingiber Officinale Rosc.) Enterprise in Nigeria
• F. D. K. Anim and B. Mandleni Effect of Social Dynamics on Technology Adoption in Urban, Sub-Urban and Rural Farming Communities in the Limpopo Province of South Africa
• C.A Zuniga González Technical Efficiency of Organic Fertilizer in Small Farms of Nicaragua: 1998-2005
• C. Okoye Soil Erosion Control and Damage Costs in Nigerian Small Farms: Implications for Farm Growth and Sustainability
• M-L. Ghib, K. Larkham, and L. Luca Small Farms in Romania: Evolution and Transformation?
• D. Dentoni and T. Reardon How can Agri-Food Smes Develop a Global Brand with Credence Attributes? The Role of Social Networks
• M. Lips, D. Schmid, P. Jan, and J. Hausheer Family Labour Input In Small Swiss Dairy
  Farms
• G.A. Vögeli and D. Gärtner Have Small Farms Competitive Disadvantages due to their Machinery Costs? Results from a Survey in Switzerland
• M.P Sini Evolution of Efficiency Factors, Different Ways by which it can be Reached, and Competitiveness of Small Farms
• Ï. Dellal The Role of Small Farms in Turkey
• L. Fredriksson Subsistence Farming in New EU Member States
• C. M. Suta Agri-environmental impact of decline in subsistence/ semi-subsistence agriculture in the EU New Member States

Booking

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