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DocumentWorking paperWhat do we really know about the number and distribution of farms and family farms worldwide?
Background paper for The State of Food and Agriculture 2014
2014Also available in:
No results found.The agricultural economics literature provides various estimates of the number of farms and small farms in the world. This paper is an effort to provide a more complete and up to date as well as carefully documented estimate of the total number of farms in the world, as well as by region and level of income. It uses data from numerous rounds of the World Census of Agriculture, the only dataset available which allows the user to gain a complete picture of the total number of farms globally and at the country level. The paper provides estimates of the number of family farms, the number of farms by size as well as the distibution of farmland by farm size. These estimates find that: there are at least 570 million farms worldwide, of which more than 500 million can be considered family farms. Most of the world’s farms are very small, with more than 475 million farms being less than 2 hectares in size. Although the vast majority of the world’s farms are smaller than 2 hectares, they operat e only a small share of the world’s farmland. Farmland distribution would seem quite unequal at the global level, but it is less so in low- and lower-middle-income countries as well as in some regional groups. These estimates have serious limitations and the collection of more up-to-date agricultural census data, including data on farmland distribution is essential to our having a more representative picture of the number of farms, the number of family farms and farm size as well as farmland dis tribution worldwide. -
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DocumentOther documentDesigning warehouse receipt legislation
Regulatory options and recent trends
2015Also available in:
No results found.Effective warehouse receipt systems allow agricultural producers to access credit at competitive rates by borrowing against receipts issued for goods stored in independently controlled warehouses. These systems enable producers to delay the sale of their products until after harvest, to a moment when prices are generally more favourable. Warehouse receipt systems can therefore mobilize credit for the agricultural sector and improve agricultural trade. A supportive legal framework is a common pre condition for confidence in and acceptance of warehouse receipts for producers, credit providers and market participants. This publication aims to shed light on the development of warehouse receipt legislation for agricultural commodities and good regulatory practices worldwide, and to provide countries with guidance and country-based examples on how to develop enabling legislation.