What is family farming and why we need it?

Although there is no clear definition of family farming yet, there are some premisses which can describe and guide our understanding of this complex concept. Family farming starts with food for people. This type of production model allows to ensure food and nutrition security of the members of the families which grow food first for themselves, and second, sell the surplus to the others in their community. The main trait of family farming is diversity, because a diversified diet contributes to their health and well-being. It is also about selection and seeds saving which allows families and communities to have the basic and the main source of food production. So, family farming is about food growers using land and its natural resources including soil, water, and all the living beings such as insects, plants, birds and other animals attached to it, to produce food for themselves and for others. 

Beyond the matter of food, family farming represents a basic unit of functional and thriving rural livelihood, as seeking to eat healthy, these farmers and peasants also care for their land, and for the natural resources they need to grow the food on. So, these people are not merely producers, they are land stewards and they are the driving force of soil regeneration, water and biodiversity restoration. They do not simply grow food there, very often they live in the place they cultivate, and it is their home. 

Family farming does not stop with growing the primary products. Producers usually consume the products within their family, but first – they process the raw materials and add value. The value-added food products become community goods, as they can be enjoyed by many more consumers. Although often very small in size and volume, the sheer numbers of family farms creates the main mass of food available in a country, thus guaranteeing the nation’s food security. Indeed, the United Nations recognizes that 80% of food consumed on Earth is produced by family farms. Out of this, 35% is produced by smallholders, of up to 2 hectares per family.