Sustainability and Resilience of Smallholder and Family Farms
A special issue of Agriculture (ISSN 2077-0472). This special issue belongs to the section "Agricultural Economics, Policies and Rural Management".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 February 2026 | Viewed by 8
Special Issue Editors
Interests: agricultural economics; regional growth; fisheries economics; environmental economics; sustainability
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: management of agricultural enterprises; farmers’ objectives and goals; production cost of agricultural commodities; greenhouse gas emissions in agricultural production systems
Interests: biohydrogenation; milk fatty acids; meat quality; technical efficiency; stochastic frontier model; metafrontier
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Despite their crucial role in food security, rural employment, and biodiversity conservation, smallholder and family-run farms face increasing pressures from climate change, market volatility, resource degradation, and socio-demographic shifts. Given the broader economic and social significance of these farms, strengthening their sustainability and resilience is an urgent global priority, recognized not only by development agencies and governments, but also by the farming communities themselves and society at large.
This Special Issue focuses on the economics of smallholder and family-run production systems aiming to highlight their societal relevance and socioeconomic contribution to rural areas. The aim is to explore innovative practices, institutional frameworks, and policy mechanisms that support the long-term viability and adaptive capacity of these systems across diverse agricultural environments. Particular attention is given to family farming, which remains central to rural livelihoods, food security, and the preservation of cultural identity across many regions.
We encourage interdisciplinary, evidence-based research that explores the operation of these enterprises, their role in environmental stewardship, and their resilience in the face of evolving challenges. We welcome submission of original research articles or comprehensive reviews with a strong socioeconomic perspective that addresses, but is not limited to, the following themes:
- Agroecological practices and sustainable intensification;
- Climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies;
- Economic and environmental resilience indicators;
- Rural innovation systems and knowledge transfer;
- Women’s entrepreneurship and gender roles in farm production systems;
- Intergenerational succession and generational renewal;
- Digitalization and smart tools for small-scale producers;
- Policy analysis, governance, and impact assessment;
- Land tenure and property rights;
- Market access and value chain integration;
- Social capital, networks, and local institutions.
We look forward to receiving your contributions.
Dr. Liontakis Angelos
Dr. Alexandra Sintori
Prof. Dr. Tsiboukas Konstanitinos
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Agriculture is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- agricultural economics
- Smallholder farms
- family farming systems
- sustainability
- resilience
- agroecology
- innovation
- rural policy
- climate adaptation
- governance
- local development
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