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The family farm is a farm owned and operated by a family. It is the basic unit of the mostly-agricultural economy of much of human history and continues to be so in developing nations. Alternatives to family farms include those run by agribusiness or collective farming.In developed nations the family farm is viewed sentimentally, as a lifestyle to be preserved for tradition's sake, or as a birthright. It is in these nations very often a political rallying cry, against change in agricultural policy, most commonly in France, Japan, and the United States where rural lifestyles are often regarded as desirable. In these countries, "strange bedfellows" can often be found arguing for similar measures despite vast differences in political ideology otherwise. For example, Patrick Buchanan and Ralph Nader, both candidates for the office of President of the United States, held rural rallies together and spoke for measures to preserve the so-called family farm. On other economic matters they were seen as generally opposed, but found common ground on this one.
Many view the family farm as a political ideal. Notable movements of this sort are primitivism, survivalismA survivalist is a person who anticipates a potential disruption in the continuity of local, regional or worldwide society, and takes steps to survive in the resulting unpredictable situation. Some survivalists take an interest in survival in the wilderne, some agrarian forms of isolationismIsolationism is a diplomatic policy whereby a nation seeks to avoid alliances with other nations. Most nations are not in a political position to maintain strict isolationist policies for extended periods of time, even though most nations have historical, rural secession movements, and eco-anarchismEco-anarchism argues that small eco-villages (of no more than a few hundred people) are the correct scale of human living, and that infrastructure and political systems should be re-organized to ensure that these are created. It combines older trends towa. It may be easier to list those that are seen to oppose it, notably those who promote agribusiness, in many ways the opposite of family farm ideals: corporate control of land and seeds with unlimited centralized technologies applied.
Bolder promoters argue that agriculture has become more efficient with the application of modern management and new technologies in each generation, and that family farms are now simply "obsolete".
However, that is an unpopular view. Purchasing local organic farm produce from local family farms is viewed by many as a form of moral purchasingEthical purchasing (or moral purchasing or ethical sourcing or moral boycott refers to the application of criteria reflective of a morality (or, in the terminology of ethics, a theory of value) to an individual, family, union, or other group's (corporatio, a choice to not rely on larger systems of corporateA corporation is a legal entity (distinct from a natural person) that often has similar rights in law to those of a natural person. Civil law systems may refer to corporations as "moral persons;" they may also go by the name "SA" (anonymous society) or so investmentInvestment is a term with several closely related meanings in finance and economics. It refers to the accumulation of some kind of asset in hopes of getting a future return from it. In theoretical economics, investment means the purchase (and thus the pro, land management, transport, and advertisingAdvertising is the paid promotion of goods, services, companies and ideas, by an identified sponsor. Marketers see advertising as part of an overall promotional strategy. Other components of the promotional mix include publicity, public relations, persona.
Advocates of safe tradeSafe trade is a concept advocated by Greenpeace, some indigenous peoples (particularly those who feel threatened by the imposition of a monoculture) and by some elements of the anti-globalization movement. It is generally seen as a single framework of rul argue that the spread of genetically modified food is inevitable if local knowledge of local families is removed from the practicing agricultural community. Advocates of fair trade argue that family farms in all nations need to be protected, as the basis of rural society and social stability.
