Interpreting family farm change and the agricultural importance of rural communities: evidence from Ontario, Canada.

Abstract

AbstractThis chapter explores evolving interactions and (inter)dependencies between family farms and rural communities in light of changes in both sectors. Particular attention is given to the phenomenon of diversification in family farming, not only with respect to commodity emphasis and mix, but also to the increasingly apparent distinctions between farm business and household circumstances. It is argued that the latter holds importance for understanding how specific farm business development trajectories, and some farm households, are increasingly linked with, and dependent upon, rural communities, while others are less so. The chapter is organized in four sections. The first two review the literature pertaining to the causes of change in the farm sector (particularly in North America), the farm-community interaction, and the community-level implications of agricultural change. The third and fourth sections adopt an empirical focus and report on two parts of recent analysis that documented family farm business development trajectories in a selected farming system in southern Ontario and assessed the nature and importance of interactions between farms and the rural community.