Small Farms/Family Farms: Tracing a History of Definitions and Meaning

Rhetoric surrounding the family farm ideal frequently interchanges or combines the terms small and family, suggesting a fusing of those ideas in the common understanding. But an examination of the meanings and definitions of those terms over time reveals an evolution of that understanding that has tracked the evolution of farming itself and led to some ambiguity in the concept that can complicate public policy discussions. This article explores the public policy definitions that reflect changing understandings of what is a family farm and how it is associated with the idea of smallness. While tracing those changes from their beginnings in colonial and early national land policy, it pays most attention to the twentieth century, when the policy discussion abruptly turned from considering how best to expand land in farms toward considering how best to manage the steady decline in farm numbers and parallel increase in farm size.

Automated summary

This article explores the evolving definitions of family farms and their association with the concept of smallness in public policy discussions. It traces these changes from colonial times to the twentieth century, focusing on the shift in policy discussions towards managing the decline in farm numbers and increase in farm size. This evolution has led to ambiguity in the understanding of what constitutes a family farm, complicating policy discussions.