The State of Food and Agriculture (SOFA) 2014

2014 ISSN 0081-4539 The State of Food and Agriculture Innovation in family farming FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS Rome, 2014 The State of Food and Agriculture Innovation in family farming The designations employed and the presentation of material in this information product do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Food and Agriculture Organi. [...] Slightly larger farms between 1 and 2 hectares account for 12 percent of all Family farms, food security and farms and control 4 percent of the land, poverty while farms in the range of 2 to 5 hectares account for 10 percent of all farms and In most countries, small and medium-sized control 7 percent of the land. [...] They are should be increased and refocused to the stewards of the world’s agricultural emphasize sustainable intensification resources and the source of more than and closing yield and labour productivity 80 percent of the world’s food supply, gaps. [...] Chapter 5 deals • recognize the diversity of family farms with extension and advisory services, and how and of the demands and needs of to make them more inclusive and responsive. [...] With about 570 million farms in The definition of family farming for the the world, the total number of family farms international year of Family Farming consequently exceeds 500 million.10 Family farms occupy large tracts of the The International Steering Committee world’s farmland and contribute substantially for the International Year of Family to the world’s food supply.