Traditional and Small Farms

Events of the 1990s seem to have given the small farm a new lease on life. Organic agriculture offers a means of producing considerable profitability on very small areas even if many small farmers are of necessity only part-time farmers. Opportunities off the farm, however, have enabled owners of small parcels to farm them profitably, or at least sustainably. Urban agriculture is now a respected activity as many people try to produce food on small plots of land, in cities, that would otherwise be unused. Organic methods are now being practiced by people who have only a little land around their house. The small farm has also been shown to offer greater flexibility, enabling more environmentally friendly options than are available to large farms. Small farms will probably increase, not decrease, in both area occupied and relative importance.