The contribution of small family farms to food and nutrition security: a European comparative study

Abstract

Small family farms represent the majority of farmers in Europe, are characterized by a strong heterogeneity and encompass a range of organizational and structural patterns (Eurostat, 2015). The capacity of small family farms to mobilize resources, such as social capital and local knowledge is also emphasized (van der Ploeg, 2013). The debate on small family farms contribution to food and nutrition security (FNS), in its multiple dimensions (availability, access, utilization, stability) has re-gained relevance in recent years (FAO 2014; Rabinowicz, 2014; Vranke, 2015). FNS depends on the capacity of the food system to ensure access to sufficient, nutritious and culturally acceptable food (Ingram, 2011; Ericksen 2008). The food system is constituted of actors and activities that interact in order to deliver food and nutrition security outcomes. The contribution of small farms to FNS depends on the way they are connected to food systems (OECD, 2016): small family farms decision-making processes take place in relation to households needs and dynamics and in connection to territorial food systems. The multi-dimensional, multiactor and multi-level nature of FNS requires an analysis able to account for socio-economic context inequalities and disparities (Cistulli, 2014, HLPE, 2013). By adopting a territorial food system approach (Fig. 1), this paper explores how small family farms bring a distinctive contribution to food systems, focusing on food and nutrition security and other socio-economic outcomes across European reference regions. How does small family farms interact with territorial food systems? How do they contribute to food and nutrition security dimensions?