Literature Review:
Small family farming is steadily declining in America. Through infiltrating agricultural political regulatory systems, agribusiness has been able to put their agenda into the minds of the USDA, which has caused regulations and policies to lean towards supporting large corporatized farming rather than small family farming. This trend will likely continue and family farms will slowly drift into oblivion as already over 60% of yearly produce and livestock comes from the corporatized farming businesses. This can be seen in the amount of non-local produce we see in our super markets, and even the organic labeled items come from corporatized farming structures, which leads me to question the real organic-ness of these products as most corporate farms have almost zero inspections and regulations upheld. Europe's agricultural model is the model of a small family farm, in which the regulations and policies center around income fluctuations and fixed pre-determined payments. America, on the other hand, focuses safety nets and economic insurance.
In a study that seemingly promotes the European Union's family farming model, data shows from Matthews study that these small farms are the backbone to their agricultural economics, and promotes sustainable family farms over corporate farms. The average farm size is exceedingly smaller in Europe than it is in America, with most of these being family run businesses passed down from generation to generation. Over 90% of all livestock and produce production comes from these farms. This is drastically different data than what is found in American Farming, as over 60% of all produce and livestock is produced from the small, yet powerful percentage of Corporate Farms. Although small family farms are supported by federal regulations within Europe, the amount of farms is steadily declining, just like America. This is due to declining labour, which makes land owners want to consolidate farms with neighboring farmers, though not corporatizing their farms. This could be used in America to keep family farming alive, instead of turning to corporatized farming.
There is a strong political support for family farming in Europe that America does not have. Matthews found that family farmers are better caretakers of their land and products, and play a key role in supporting rural employment, and maintaining the social quo within the rural areas; family farms balance the rural life. This is of great incite as to why we are seeing rural depopulation within America, and it lines up with the information within my website that corporatized farms do not take as good of care in their farming rituals and land that small family farms do. By incorporating ideals of practice that Europe uses in agriculture, our rural counties could flourish again through being able to support and survive through family farming, or farming with a neighbor. Europe is so much larger than America and they can use small farms as their main production for agriculture, so it is obvious that America can, too. America runs into the problem of wanting more, for cheaper, which is why corporate farms and GMOs have become popular, despite the health affects and loss of many family farmers due to the want of cheaper foods.
In Sandy's study, she and her colleagues decided that corporate/factory farming was detrimental to rural America, which is supported by the study shown above, along with information throughout the entirety of this website. These farms cause water contamination, and have negative social impacts in rural America. Europe's small farm model, however, strengthens the rural social structure, and does not contaminate land, but rather is it's caretaker.
My idea for a solution for American Farming is to focus our agriculture around small, family farms again, like Europe does. We should shy away from the use of mass production, corporate farms. By doing this, we can live a healthier life style, and rural depopulation would decrease. For America to be able to focus regulations and policies to support small family farms, we would need to replace many of the upper officials within the USDA. Also, by contacting state legislation and representatives, individual states could have their policies and regulations changed to support the rural family farmer, rather than the mass corporation farms that America now leans on.
Sources:
http://www.preservationnation.org/forum/library/public-articles/factory-farms.html
http://ecdpm.org/great-insights/family-farming-and-food-security/promoting-family-farming-european-union/
http://www.gmeducation.org/farming/p213368-us-genetically-engineered-agriculture-is-outclassed-by-europe-s-non-gm-approach.html
http://www.ers.usda.gov/media/1156726/err152.pdf
In a study that seemingly promotes the European Union's family farming model, data shows from Matthews study that these small farms are the backbone to their agricultural economics, and promotes sustainable family farms over corporate farms. The average farm size is exceedingly smaller in Europe than it is in America, with most of these being family run businesses passed down from generation to generation. Over 90% of all livestock and produce production comes from these farms. This is drastically different data than what is found in American Farming, as over 60% of all produce and livestock is produced from the small, yet powerful percentage of Corporate Farms. Although small family farms are supported by federal regulations within Europe, the amount of farms is steadily declining, just like America. This is due to declining labour, which makes land owners want to consolidate farms with neighboring farmers, though not corporatizing their farms. This could be used in America to keep family farming alive, instead of turning to corporatized farming.
There is a strong political support for family farming in Europe that America does not have. Matthews found that family farmers are better caretakers of their land and products, and play a key role in supporting rural employment, and maintaining the social quo within the rural areas; family farms balance the rural life. This is of great incite as to why we are seeing rural depopulation within America, and it lines up with the information within my website that corporatized farms do not take as good of care in their farming rituals and land that small family farms do. By incorporating ideals of practice that Europe uses in agriculture, our rural counties could flourish again through being able to support and survive through family farming, or farming with a neighbor. Europe is so much larger than America and they can use small farms as their main production for agriculture, so it is obvious that America can, too. America runs into the problem of wanting more, for cheaper, which is why corporate farms and GMOs have become popular, despite the health affects and loss of many family farmers due to the want of cheaper foods.
In Sandy's study, she and her colleagues decided that corporate/factory farming was detrimental to rural America, which is supported by the study shown above, along with information throughout the entirety of this website. These farms cause water contamination, and have negative social impacts in rural America. Europe's small farm model, however, strengthens the rural social structure, and does not contaminate land, but rather is it's caretaker.
My idea for a solution for American Farming is to focus our agriculture around small, family farms again, like Europe does. We should shy away from the use of mass production, corporate farms. By doing this, we can live a healthier life style, and rural depopulation would decrease. For America to be able to focus regulations and policies to support small family farms, we would need to replace many of the upper officials within the USDA. Also, by contacting state legislation and representatives, individual states could have their policies and regulations changed to support the rural family farmer, rather than the mass corporation farms that America now leans on.
Sources:
http://www.preservationnation.org/forum/library/public-articles/factory-farms.html
http://ecdpm.org/great-insights/family-farming-and-food-security/promoting-family-farming-european-union/
http://www.gmeducation.org/farming/p213368-us-genetically-engineered-agriculture-is-outclassed-by-europe-s-non-gm-approach.html
http://www.ers.usda.gov/media/1156726/err152.pdf