Trade-offs in agricultural outcomes across farm sizes

Abstract

Farm size plays a critical role in agriculture, influencing productivity, resource use efficiency, and environmental impacts. Smallholder farms, compared to large farms, often face constraints such as limited mechanization and advanced technology, leading to lower efficiency and potential environmental degradation. Transitioning from a system dominated by smallholders to one featuring large-scale farming holds potential for sustainable agricultural intensification, especially in regions currently reliant on smallholder systems. However, the benefits and potential unintended consequences of such a transition remain contentious and require further exploration. This review examines the multifaceted role of farm size, highlighting the essential contributions of smallholders to food security, poverty alleviation, crop diversity, and biodiversity despite their limitations in machinery, technology and efficiency. While acknowledging the potential for increased sustainability through scaling up farm size, we also indentify the risks associated with large-scale farming, such as biodiversity loss, increased market volatility, and adverse environmental impacts. We emphasize the importance of tailored strategies for managing different farm size to optimize agricultural productivity, economic viability, human well-being, and sustainable development. Our study provides a new perspective that complements the conventional advocacy for large-scale agriculture, revealing trade-offs of agricultural outcomes across different farm sizes. It offers a comprehensive evaluation of the significance of farm size in shaping future sustainable agricultural systems. • The role of smallholders in food security and poverty alleviation. • The importance of increasing farm size to medium scale. • Cautions of risks of large-scale farming, such as biodiversity loss. • Tailored strategies for sustainable farming of various sizes.

Topics & Concepts