This paper begins by exploring what the term family farming means and how appropriate it is in the NENA region. It will explore more generally the role of farming and agriculture in the broader political economy of the region. The paper establishes the distinctive features of the region, what might be generalised and what might not be so common between countries with contrasting patterns of development. The paper explores the role and impact that farmers have had on the social relations of production in a range of countries and the position that agriculture has played in national and regional development. It will also draw on the responses of farmers to recent upheavals and set out a series of recommendations that might bolster rural development broadly defined including the contributions made to national development by farmers in the region.