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size support to family farming in Uganda. However there is

no clear policy on agriculture financing in Uganda. UNFFE

would like to see agriculture financing policies in place that

facilitate access to affordable farm credit.

According to Sociedad Rural Argentina (SRA) – the

Argentine Farmers’ Union – on family farms the domestic

unit and production unit are physically integrated. Agriculture

is the main occupation and source of household income in

Argentina. Family farming provides a predominant fraction of

the labour force, and output goes to consumption and markets.

In Argentina, family farming plays an important role in food

sovereignty and security, especially because of the tremendous

variety of foodstuff produced in the country, both for sustaining

the livelihoods of families and for domestic consumption, and

for export to markets outside the region. In particular, almost

70 per cent of the farms in Argentina are family farms. Family

farms only occupy 13 per cent of farmlands, but they contribute

about 20 per cent of the gross production value and represent

53 per cent of rural employment.

There are Argentinian programmes in place to increase

family farming production, support family farming to incor-

porate market and value chains sustainably, build alliances

among different market actors and provide finance, invest-

ments, and working capital to increase production and

productivity. SRA would like to see several government

policies to support family farming, such as housing policies;

infrastructure; access to water and energy; communications;

transportation corridors; and improved marketing systems.

In Mozambique, according to Mulher, Genero e

Desenvolvimento (MuGeDe, or Women, Gender and

Development), family farming is small-scale agriculture restricted

to household members. While 80 per cent of agriculture produc-

tion comes from family farming. Within MuGeDe 50 per cent of

its members are family farmers. All of these family farms contrib-

ute not only to family diets, but also to their local and national

economy. The overall rural development strategy inMozambique

has a chapter on family farming. The Agricultural Development

Fund and Rural Development Strategy provide rural finance for

small and medium farmers. MuGeDe would like to see specific

laws in place to support rural women and strategies for develop-

ment given the vital role of rural women in family farming, along

with policies to support disaster risk reduction. In Africa, as in

other developing countries, family farms are usually rain-fed and,

therefore, are highly subject to climate change.

The National Farmers’ Union of England and Wales (NFU

UK) considers family farming as a business operated by one

or more members of the same family, often passed from one

generation to the next, however this does not necessarily mean

a small farm. All of the NFU UK members are family farmers,

except for a restricted number of professional corporate

members that can be considered family farmers. The agrifood

sector in the UK accounts for 7.3 per cent of the national gross

value added. In the UK, the European Union (EU) Common

Agricultural Policy (CAP) governs all farming. NFU UK feels

that the CAP must be kept simple, and that it should work

towards the elimination of competitive distortions within

the common market, enable greater market orientation and

encourage farmers to become more competitive, therefore

reducing dependency on support payments.

In Ireland, according to the Irish Farmers’ Association,

family farms are owner occupied, where farmers own capital

and labour. Most farms in Ireland have been inherited from

parents or other relatives. The majority of the 140,000 farms

in Ireland are family farms. Meanwhile family farming is the

main source of employment in rural areas. As with the rest

of Europe, the EU CAP governs all farming activities. The

Irish Farmers’ Association feels it is vital that the CAP is fully

funded, including national co-financing where it is required

under the rural development programme.

In Germany, according to the Deutscher Bauernberband

(DBV or German Farmers’ Association), family farming is

a complex professional cooperation consisting of family

members with a variety of complementary tasks and relations.

About 94 per cent of the farms in Germany are family farms.

German socioeconomic development at local level, jobs and

income, is supported by family farmers. The CAP governs

German farming. DBV would like to see agriculture taken into

high consideration within international cooperation agendas.

In Switzerland, according to Schweizer Bauernverband (Swiss

Farmers’ Union), aspects of family farming include all family

life, and the work is inextricably linked. Usually family farms

are passed on through the family, and the decision-making

power remains within the family. In Switzerland 99.9 per cent

of farms are family farms; even collective farms are organized

by families. Approximately 1 million jobs in Switzerland are

family-based agriculture. Family farming is a key part of the

national identity for Swiss people, and is the key provider of

food. There are Swiss policies in place to assist with family

farms’ financial support, regulations, rural land rights, educa-

tion and markets. The Swiss Farmers’ Union would like to see

policies that sustain food sovereignty, international coopera-

tion, fair trade, land access, valorization of education, protection

of natural resources, strengthening of peasant women, educa-

tion of consumers, and competitiveness.

Hannah Smith-Brubaker with her Berkshire pigs, which are raised at Village

Acres for her family at Blue Rooster Farm, East Waterford, Pennsylvania, USA

Image: Albert Yee

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