Family farms are the backbone of our food system.
More than 90 percent of farms—about 500 million—are run either by individual or family labor! More than 1.5 billion people worldwide are involved in family farming, and these operations produce more than 80 percent of the world’s food value, according to U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) data.
Across regions and biomes, no two family farms look the same. Family farmers are fishers, pastoralists, peasants, Indigenous peoples, mountain farmers, smallholders, and medium-scale growers.
Without family farms, we would not eat. And without family farms, a regenerative and equitable future is not possible.
“Independent family farms are the bedrock of healthy rural economies,” Jordan Treakle, National Programs and Policy Coordinator for the National Family Farm Coalition, tells Food Tank.
But family farmers are also vulnerable to challenges including the climate crisis, lack of support and financing, and limited access to land resources and market opportunities, says Esther Penunia, the Secretary General of the Asian Farmers’ Association for Sustainable Rural Development.
And they’re in danger of being overpowered by industrial giants: Farms that operate on less than 2 hectares (4.9 acres) account for more than 8 out of every 10 farms globally—but only control about 12 percent of all agricultural land, according to the FAO Family Farming Knowledge Platform data.
In short, business-as-usual can no longer carry us into the future. As Penunia put it, we have to “unleash the potential” of small-scale family farmers to lead the way toward a more regenerative, localized, and financially viable future for the global food system.
“The next generation of farmers…know that something is wrong in the wider industry and that something has got to change,” Ethan Roberts, a 22-year-old fifth-generation farmer in Iowa, tells Food Tank. “If they want to pursue their dream of farming, they’ve got to find a different way to do things.”
This is a huge reason I respect companies like Niman Ranch, which provides a guaranteed market for members of its network of farmers and ranchers across the United States, while also helping them uphold sustainable, humane practices.
For example, Eric Boor took over his great-grandfather’s nine-acre farm in southern Iowa four years ago. Many of his family and community members doubted he could be financially successful while farming in a more humane way. But now, alongside Niman, the Boors are currently the only farmers in their county raising hogs outdoors.
“There’s a lot more brainstorming on how to actually raise animals and crops than just your industrial [model]. It does seem like a brighter future,” Levi Wahl, a fifth-generation sheepherder in Oregon, tells Food Tank.
Next week, we’ll be in Des Moines, Iowa, for the annual Hog Farmer Appreciation Celebration, held in partnership with Niman Ranch. In addition to on-the-ground farm tours and inspiring meals, our Education Summit on Saturday, August 24, will feature panels on topics from the links between agriculture and public health to how we redefine food value during inflation, and much more.
Our speaker lineup of farmers, chefs, researchers, journalists, and more includes: Dr. Temple Grandin, American academic and animal behaviorist; Kiki Aranita, New York Magazine; Corey Blumenthal, Shake Shack; Lee Campanella, LaBonne’s Market; Ertharin Cousin, Food Systems for the Future; Yael Cypers, The Alice Waters Institute for Edible Education and Regenerative Agriculture; Dayanny De La Cruz, Levy Restaurants; Brian Fowler, BLACKBARN Restaurant; Maisie Ganzler, Author and Advisor; Anna Gray, Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation; Theresa Greenfield, USDA; Reba Hatcher, ButcherBox; Jared Kaufman, St. Paul Pioneer Press; Kevin Kelley, Shook Kelley; Ron Mardesen, Niman Ranch Farmer; Kevin McAdams, Perdue Farms; Anne McBride, James Beard Foundation; William McIntee, White House; Christy McKenzie, Pasture and Plenty; Joe Mickelson, Niman Ranch Farmer; Judy Monroe, CDC Foundation; Diego Mordhorst, Niman Ranch Farmer; Niven Patel, FEAL Hospitality; Ryan Perdue, Perdue Farms; Jamaica Ponder, CBS Chicago; Molly Riordan, Center for Good Food Purchasing; Tracey Ryder, Edible Communities; Dee Sandquist, Niman Ranch Farmer; Surita Sandosham, Heifer International; Samantha Sanz, Post Hospitality; Eric Schmid, St. Louis Public Radio; Tambra Raye Stevenson, Women Advancing Nutrition Dietetics and Agriculture; Andy Teixeira, Newport Vineyards; Sapna Thottathil, Center for Climate Health & Equity at University of California; Kelsey Watson, National Young Farmers Coalition; Troy Wilhelm, Harris Teeter; Trisha Zachman, Niman Ranch Farmer; and more.
We’ll also be joined by leaders from Niman Ranch, including Paul Willis, Chris Oliviero, Kerri McClimen, Jake Fazio, Kay Cornelius, Alicia LaPorte, Elle Gadient, Drew Calvert, Dr. Jim Magolski, Executive Chef Andrew Hunter, and Jim Wallace.
I’m so excited to be able to celebrate the folks on the ground who are doing it right—growing our food with a focus on sustainability, humane treatment of animals, and a community-focused future for our food system.
“Family farming is resilient,” says Martín Uriarte, President of the World Rural Forum.
So let’s give our farmers the support they deserve!
Tell me about how family farmers in your community are redefining what it means to feed their neighbors in regenerative ways! Share more success stories with me at [email protected], and let’s keep the celebration going.
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Photo courtesy of Zoe Schaeffer, Unsplash
