Role of a Small Farmer

Small Farmers Role in the Future:
As the number of small farms continue to decline bigger demand for specialty crops will arise:

Here’s why… more sophisticated economies like the US seem to be moving away from mass production and moving towards individuality. Consumers don’t just want what everyone else has, they want something catered to them.

The mass production of food will continue to be in high demand because of world population growth nevertheless small farmers can fill the niche market by providing specialty crops in small amounts to local markets. After speaking with several restaurant owners I found one common theme. They said, “My supplier only sells to me in large quantities.”

The role on the small farmer will have to be much different than it used to be. Farmers will need to be marketers, salesman, growers, harvesters, packers, processors and bookkeepers. Farmers need to be vertically integrated in the supply chain to assure the farmer has representation. This requires a new way of thinking. Farmers used to only be concerned with planting, growing and harvesting food. The new economy requires farmers to be knowledgeable at many levels, not just growing and harvesting. Farmers will need to be resourceful at many levels of the supply chain.

Consumers want something fundamentally different from the food produced by today’s industrial food system and they are willing to pay for it. They also want farmers that are environmentally minded and have social integrity. Small farmers should focus on producing high value-food rather than low cost commodities.