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Long-Term Farming Trends. An Inquiry Using Agricultural Censuses

Author

Listed:
  • Gustavo Anríquez

    (Agricultural and Development Economics Division, Food and Agriculture Organization)

  • Genny Bonomi

    (Agricultural and Development Economics Division, Food and Agriculture Organization)

Abstract

This paper provides a long-term and global view at current farming trends by analyzing a specially created database of farming characteristics of 17 countries across 43 different agricultural censuses representing the different developing regions of the world. The study shows that while agricultural land appears to be a constraint in central and East Asia, it has been under expansion in Latin America, Northern Africa, and most of Sub Saharan Africa. We also estimate that 9 out of 10 farms are small (i.e. smaller than 2 ha). These farms are more specialized in staple crops than their larger counterparts, and exhibit slower productivity growth.

Suggested Citation

  • Gustavo Anríquez & Genny Bonomi, 2007. "Long-Term Farming Trends. An Inquiry Using Agricultural Censuses," Working Papers 07-20, Agricultural and Development Economics Division of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO - ESA).
    • Handle: RePEc:fao:wpaper:0720
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    2. Coronese, Matteo & Occelli, Martina & Lamperti, Francesco & Roventini, Andrea, 2023. "AgriLOVE: Agriculture, land-use and technical change in an evolutionary, agent-based model," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 208(C).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Small Farms; land distribution; agricultural census; productivity.;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • Q10 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Agriculture - - - General
    • Q15 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Agriculture - - - Land Ownership and Tenure; Land Reform; Land Use; Irrigation; Agriculture and Environment

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