Special Issue "Challenges to Sustainable Development in Family Farms: Global and Local Context"

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Agriculture".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 November 2021.

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Bazyli Czyżewski
E-Mail Website1 Website2
Chief Guest Editor
Department of Macroeconomics and Agricultural Economics, Poznan University of Economics and Business, 61-875 Poznan, Poland
Interests: sustainable development economics, environmental economics, and agricultural economics concerning inter alia public goods, eco-efficiency, political rents, spatial effects, and input–output analyses
Dr. Sebastian Stępień
E-Mail Website
Assistant Guest Editor
Department of Macroeconomics and Agricultural Economics, Poznan University of Economics and Business, 61-875 Poznan, Poland
Interests: agricultural markets; sustainable development; small farms sector; risk management in agriculture
Dr. Łukasz Kryszak
E-Mail Website
Assistant Guest Editor
Department of Macroeconomics and Agricultural Economics, Poznan University of Economics and Business, 61-875 Poznan, Poland
Interests: farm incomes and finance; environmental economics; productivity analysis

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In 2019, FAO initiated a new program called ‘Family Decade 2019–2028—United Nations Decade of Family Farming’ (FAO 2019). This is a sign that the issues of the family farms sector will be the topic in the academic and public debate over the coming years. The premise for such thinking is the fact that family farms continue to be the primary source of food supply in both developed and developing countries. In addition, due to their multifunctional nature, they provide specific public goods for which public demand is growing. However, family farms face many socioeconomic and environmental problems, such as relatively low incomes and productivity of inputs, vulnerability to climate change or lack of succession that may hinder sustainable development of these farms. Furthermore, the problems of the family farming sector often have a peculiar character regarding different countries and world regions. Understanding this diversity, as well as individual points of view of family farming issues, is a particular contribution to the theory of agricultural economics and closes the gap in this regard.

This Special Issue of Sustainability is dedicated to all those whose area of interest includes issues of family farming and sustainable rural development. The aim is to publish high-quality research papers on the problems of family farms and the supporting policy from an economic, social, and environmental point of view. We invite articles containing international and interregional comparisons as well as more in-depth analysis of specific regions. Review articles are also welcome.

Prof. Dr. Bazyli Czyżewski
Dr. Sebastian Stępień
Dr. Łukasz Krysza
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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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. Sustainability 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 1900 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

  • family farm
  • sustainable development
  • small-scale farming
  • climate change
  • agricultural incomes
  • social aspects
  • environmental issues
  • agricultural policy

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

Article
The Environmental-Economic Performance of a Poblano Family Milpa System: An Emergy Evaluation
Sustainability 2021, 13(16), 9425; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13169425 - 22 Aug 2021
Viewed by 306
Abstract
The family milpa system (FMS) is of great importance to food security and the livelihoods of rural families in Mexico. However, the performance of the system can be compromised due to inappropriate agricultural practices. Therefore, a suitable evaluation strategy is required to identify [...] Read more.
The family milpa system (FMS) is of great importance to food security and the livelihoods of rural families in Mexico. However, the performance of the system can be compromised due to inappropriate agricultural practices. Therefore, a suitable evaluation strategy is required to identify the best management of resources. Nonetheless, at present, there is no holistic understanding around the nature–society interface that allows us to predict the global behavior of the FMS. Thus, this study assesses the global performance of a Poblano FMS through emergy-based indices. The emergy evaluation was carried out by accounting for the available energy of different qualities used in the system, which were subsequently converted to one kind of energy (solar emjoules). The percentage of renewable emergy (%Ren) used in the system was 72.16%. The emergy self-support ratio (ESR) showed that 74% of the emergy used came from free local resources. The emergy investment ratio (EIR) of 0.36 indicated that the emergy use was efficient. The emergy yield ratio (EYR) was 3.78, which in terms of net emergy (NE), was equivalent to a gain of 1.35 × 1016 sej ha−1 y−1. The environmental loading ratio (ELR) was 0.39, which indicated a low potential environmental impact. The emergy sustainability index (ESI) was high (9.80) compared to other agricultural systems. The performance of the FMS is superior compared to other agricultural systems, including ecologic and recycling systems. However, the use of resources is not optimum and needs to be improved to reach maximum empower. Full article
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Article
The Socio-Economics Factors in Family Farms with Different Economic Sustainability Levels from Central and Eastern Europe
Sustainability 2021, 13(15), 8262; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13158262 - 23 Jul 2021
Viewed by 329
Abstract
Economic sustainability plays an important role in shaping conditions for economic growth and social development. The importance of answering the question about the level of sustainability of family farms results from the fact that the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, apart from [...] Read more.
Economic sustainability plays an important role in shaping conditions for economic growth and social development. The importance of answering the question about the level of sustainability of family farms results from the fact that the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, apart from exceptions (e.g., the Czech Republic and Slovakia), are characterized by a fragmented agrarian structure. Hence, the main goal of this article was to answer two questions: (1) whether the countries of Central and Eastern Europe differ in the level of economic sustainability of small family farms; and (2) whether the same socioeconomic factors impact similarly on the level of economic sustainability of small family farms from countries of Central and Eastern Europe. The study was based on surveys conducted in small family farms: in 2018 from Poland (672 farms) and in 2019 in four other countries (Lithuania; 999 farms, Romania; 834 farms, Serbia; 523 farms, Moldova; 530 farms). The publication includes a critical analysis of the literature, structure analysis and correlation analysis. The results show the occurrence of large differences between the economic sustainability of small family farms from the countries of Central and Eastern Europe. The research indicates that the larger the area of a small-scale family farm, the greater its economic sustainability. The productivity of these farms increases with their economic sustainability. The results also prove a negative relationship between the age of the farmer and the economic sustainability of their farm in all analysed countries. These trends were found in all analysed countries of Central and Eastern Europe. The results of the analyses support the conclusion that agricultural policy instruments aimed at increasing the economic sustainability of small family farms should lead to: land consolidation, a decrease in the age of farm owners through generational changes, and a decrease in employment in agriculture, which would lead to a reduction in labour input in the agricultural sector. Full article
Article
Eco-Efficiency and Human Capital Efficiency: Example of Small- and Medium-Sized Family Farms in Selected European Countries
Sustainability 2021, 13(12), 6846; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13126846 - 17 Jun 2021
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 373
Abstract
Small- and medium-sized family farms are places to live and sources of income for about half of the population. The aim of this analysis was to determine the relationship between eco-efficiency and human capital efficiency on small- and medium-sized family farms. The analysis [...] Read more.
Small- and medium-sized family farms are places to live and sources of income for about half of the population. The aim of this analysis was to determine the relationship between eco-efficiency and human capital efficiency on small- and medium-sized family farms. The analysis was carried out using an economic measure (value of agricultural production per work hour calculated per hectare) and two synthetic measures (human capital and environmental measures). The synthetic measures were determined using the TOPSIS-CRITIC method by defining weights for variables used in the measures. The analysis covered five countries: Lithuania (960 farms), Moldavia (532 farms), Poland (696 farms), Romania (872 farms) and Serbia (524 farms). All of these countries are characterised by a high fragmentation of agricultural holdings. The analysis allowed us to formulate the following conclusions: eco-efficiency and human capital efficiency indices increased with area for small- and medium-sized family farms. An increase in the eco-efficiency index with an increase in farm area suggests that the smaller the farm area, the more extensive the agricultural production that was carried out. In addition, an increase in human capital efficiency with an increase in farm area indicates that there was inefficiency in the utilisation of human capital resources on the agricultural farms studied. Full article
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Article
Motivational Factors, Job Satisfaction, and Economic Performance in Romanian Small Farms
Sustainability 2021, 13(11), 5832; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13115832 - 22 May 2021
Viewed by 565
Abstract
The agricultural sector ensures food security and is a major source of employment, income, and economic activity in rural areas. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) considers that family farms are the key to a sustainable future in Europe [...] Read more.
The agricultural sector ensures food security and is a major source of employment, income, and economic activity in rural areas. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) considers that family farms are the key to a sustainable future in Europe and Central Asia. In Romania, small farms represent the pillar on which Romanian society has been developed. Although the trend has been a reduction in the number of small farms and an increase in the number of large farms, the Government of Romania understands the importance of small farms and therefore supports them through policies involving direct payments, rural development instruments, special initiatives, and loans and outstanding obligations, among others, which focus on increasing their economic performance. The aim of our research was to determine the relationship between farmers’ motivation, their job satisfaction, and the farm economic performance in the case of small Romanian farms. The research sample consisted of 900 small farms (utilized agricultural area (UAA): under 20 ha; standard output (SO): under EUR 15,000). The data obtained after applying the questionnaires were analyzed using SPSS 20.0 and Amos 24.0. For the exploratory factor analysis, values of Bartlett’s test of sphericity, the Kaiser–Meyer–Olkin test, and Cronbach’s alpha coefficient were calculated for each dimension of the proposed model. The hypothesis that motivation, job satisfaction, and farm economic performance directly and positively influence each other was confirmed. An important finding was that the correlation coefficient between farmers’ motivation and farm economic performance was ρ = 0.78, while that for the relation between farmers’ job satisfaction and farm economic performance was ρ = 0.53, which was similar to the correlation coefficient calculated for the relationship between farmers’ motivation and farmers’ job satisfaction. This result allows us to conclude that the influence of farmers’ motivation factors on farm economic performance is stronger than the influence of job satisfaction in the case of Romanian farmers on small farms. This might explain why, although work in agriculture is considered to be worse than an office job and the people that work in agriculture are sometimes stigmatized and receive lower incomes, there are still very strong motivators for Romanian farmers to continue their work in agriculture. This is proven by the fact that Romania has the highest number of small farms in Europe, and this number is not decreasing. Full article
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Article
Agricultural Waste Recycling Optimization of Family Farms Based on Environmental Management Accounting in Rural China
Sustainability 2021, 13(10), 5515; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13105515 - 14 May 2021
Viewed by 450
Abstract
In the process of production and operation of family farms, a large amount of agricultural waste, such as livestock and poultry manure, has not been effectively treated in time, causing serious pollution to the environment. Moreover, livestock and poultry manure are the kind [...] Read more.
In the process of production and operation of family farms, a large amount of agricultural waste, such as livestock and poultry manure, has not been effectively treated in time, causing serious pollution to the environment. Moreover, livestock and poultry manure are the kind of resources that can be recycled to fertilize crops, which can benefit family farms both economically and environmentally. Adoption of manure biogas digesters by family farms can improve sustainability by not only decreasing input use and resource losses, but also reducing environmental pollution. Additionally, Material Flow Cost Accounting (MFCA) is considered to be the most representative environmental management accounting tool. MFCA can be expanded to account for and calculate environmental damages, so as to better reflect the economic and environmental sustainability of agricultural systems. According to the basic principles of material flow cost accounting and characteristics of family farms, we propose an agricultural-waste-recycling model for Chinese family farms that is based on the extended MFCA in this paper. We first investigate Chinese family farms in Hunan Province, and then optimize an agricultural-waste-recycling model by extended MFCA. Finally, based on our proposed model, we make a two-dimensional analysis on the internal resource cost and external environment damages for agricultural-waste recycling. Our analysis shows that visualization of monetization of resource losses can optimize manure recycling through better decision-making, which can increase the sustainability of family farms. Full article
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Article
Socio-Economic Determinants of Small Family Farms’ Resilience in Selected Central and Eastern European Countries
Sustainability 2020, 12(24), 10362; https://doi.org/10.3390/su122410362 - 11 Dec 2020
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 725
Abstract
We investigated the resilience of small-scale family farms because of the contemporary importance of both the farms’ resilience and the role of these farms in five countries of Central and Eastern Europe. The authors addressed a research gap concerning cross-sectional research on the [...] Read more.
We investigated the resilience of small-scale family farms because of the contemporary importance of both the farms’ resilience and the role of these farms in five countries of Central and Eastern Europe. The authors addressed a research gap concerning cross-sectional research on the resilience of farms by combining determinants from various fields. Thus, the primary goal of this article was to identify microeconomic and political factors and links to markets that affect the resilience of small-scale family farms in Lithuania, Moldova, Poland, Romania and Serbia. Using a database of over 3500 farms, the resilience of the farms was calculated, and then the impact of selected factors on that resilience was determined. The research showed that the production scale was the key determinant of the resilience of farms. To achieve higher benefits, increasing the production should be combined with strengthening the market integration of agricultural producers. The position of the producer in the food supply chain determined the income situation of the farm (economic stability). This shaped the quality of life of the family members (social stability). Identifying the effects of those dependencies may provide recommendations for the policy of supporting small-scale family farms in the analysed countries. Full article

Planned Papers

The below list represents only planned manuscripts. Some of these manuscripts have not been received by the Editorial Office yet. Papers submitted to MDPI journals are subject to peer-review.

Title: Family Farms: Reassessing Their Sustainability

Authors: Anthony M. Fuller; Lee-Ann Sutherland; Xu Siyuan
Abstract:
This paper on family farms is in the form of an historical review complemented by current and future perspectives from Canada, China and Europe. In the selected literature review, multiple discourses on concepts and methodologies are examined to form many understandings of the family farm. The point is that family farms, however defined, are ubiquitous in most agricultural systems and take on many different forms and functions, mostly conditioned by the structure of agriculture in different locations and political systems. Our review therefore accepts this diversity and seeks to identify some key elements that inform our understanding of family farming, now and in the future. The term ‘family’ is the differentiating variable and behooves a sociological approach. However, economists can view the family farm as an economic unit, a business and even a firm. Geographers see family farms consigned to the margins of good land areas and political scientists have seen family farms as a class. Family farms appear in the agrarian structure of most agricultural systems and are often equated with peasant holdings, while families can also run large commercial farms with substantial capital resources. As with the term livelihoods (everybody has one), the term ‘family farm’ has common usage within its own spatial and historical context. However, as a concept for comparative research, it is problematic. In reviewing selected discourses on family farms, this paper attempts to answer the question of the usefulness of the term for policy and planning research.

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