Are Small Farms Sustainable by Nature?—Review of an Ongoing Misunderstanding in Agroecology

Abstract

Today, agroecology is more than a science; it is a movement that advocates for a sustainable redesign of the global food system. Some of its acknowledged protagonists plead for a redesign based on the support of and for small-scale farming because small farms are considered more sustainable than large farms. The present review explores the arguments that leading agroecologists use for justifying their preference for small (frequently peasant) farms. In this review, small farms are defined as possessing a mean agricultural area of maximum two hectares, being family-owned, emphasizing outdoor production, and annually producing at least two different crops or livestock. Peasant farms are defined as subsistent small farms in developing countries. The review includes an overview of the current state of small farms and their most severe challenges. Agroecological publications of the last thirty years were scanned for arguments that sustain the hypothesis that small farms are more sustainable. It was found that there are no studies that directly compare the sustainability of farms based on their size. Instead, most studies cited to confirm the sustainability of small farms compare farms that differ in terms of both, size and farm management. Hence, it is likely that the reason for the advanced sustainability of small farms is their management, not their size. The assertion that small farms are a priori more sustainable than large ones is not supportable. Misleading use of the term "small farms" may impede the efforts of agroecology to stimulate sustainable food production.

Market Dependency as Prohibitive of Agroecology and Food Sovereignty—A Case Study of the Agrarian Transition in the Scottish Highlands

“…In addition, the composition of livestock changed from a combination of cattle, goats, horses and sheep to primarily sheep, in what could be considered a shift to 'mono-grazing', which particularly intensified from the mid-19th century onwards [126] (pp. [31][32][33][34]. Sheep are selective graziers: they eat the young plants most nutritious to them, leading to the spread of plant species which are not grazed by sheep or even cattle [147][148][149].…”

“…In general, the agroecology movement has often prioritised and privileged small-scale and peasant producers, and at times, implicitly or explicitly equated such producers with the practice of ecological farming [29] (p. 588), [30] (p. 127), [31] (p. 92), [32,33]. In the food sovereignty movement, small-scale and peasant producers comprise the majority of the membership of La Via Campesina (which literally translates to 'the peasant way') [6] (p. 607).…”

Controversial topics in agroecology: A European perspective

“…Smallholder farmers are still producing most of the world's food supply nowadays (Rapsomanikis, 2015;HLPE, 2019;Ebel, 2020). Family farmers are the traditional keepers of knowledge and wisdom and can help boost rural economies (Rapsomanikis, 2015;Ebel, 2020). Therefore, family farmers around the world are likely the key actors for producing food in an agroecological way (FAO, 2020).…”

An Overview of Sustainability Assessment Frameworks in Agriculture

“…As stated in the literature "Sustainability is a multidimensional concept [28] of a dignified life for the present without compromising a dignified life in the future or endangering the natural environment and ecosystem services" [29],. Its evaluation process plays an important role in the development and promotion of sustainable agricultural systems [30]. To investigate the transition towards more sustainable production, various frameworks have been proposed to gain knowledge about the sustainability performance of such production systems [31,32].…”