For all their differences, the United States and the European Union share a common experience \u2014 the abrupt decline in farm numbers, said the agriculture ministers of the agricultural powerhouses. The transformation of the agriculture sector, more recent in Europe than in the United States, resulted in a relatively small number of large farms that produce the majority of the food and many small farms with little revenue from crops and livestock.
\nThe number of farms in Europe fell 37%, to 9.1 million, from 2005 to 2020. EU agriculture commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski said the losses were equal to 800 farms a day in recent years. \u201cWe have lost many family farms,\u201d he said during an appearance with Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack at USDA\u2019s Ag Outlook Forum on Friday.
\nFor the United States, the consolidation into fewer and larger farms occurred in the 1950s and 1960s. There were 6.8 million farms in 1936; the number has hovered a bit above 2 million since the 1970s. The decline has been attributed to mechanization, introduction of hybrid crops, and adoption of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, all of which boosted productivity and reduced the need for labor.
\n\u201cWe assumed there was no other option,\u201d said Vilsack. He said a focus on increased productivity led to neglect of issues such as profitability and preservation of resources for the long term. Both of the ministers said a vibrant farm sector was vital for rural economic health.
\nOne way to expand revenue for farms of all sizes, said Vilsack, was to find new revenue streams, such as payments for carbon sequestration, development of markets for climate-smart commodities, growth of biofuel, and renewable fuel sales. The administration has put $3 billion into demonstration projects for climate-smart practices and markets.
\n\u201cThe farm bill will be part of that conversation,\u201d said Vilsack.
\n\u201cStability for farmers, that is the problem,\u201d said Wojciechowski. \u201cI am very much in favor of the family farmer.\u201d The new edition of the EU Common Agricultural Program gives farmers a central role in dealing with climate change, preserving rural landscapes and protecting food and health quality.
\nWojciechowski and Vilsack launched a \u201ccollaboration platform on agriculture\u201d in November 2021 to work on sustainability and climate change. \u201cThe European Union and the United States are committed globally to enhanced and sustainable production, alleviating poverty and hunger, protecting our environment, and confronting climate change\u201d they said in a joint statement.
\nTwo-thirds of EU farms are less than 5 hectares (13 acres), said a 2022 EU report, but 299,000 farms, mostly in France, Germany, Italy, and Spain, accounted for 56% of agricultural production. \u201cThe vast majority of the EU\u2019s farms are family farms,\u201d meaning family members performed at least 50% of the labor.
\nHalf of U.S. farms produce less than $10,000 a year in goods \u2014 too little to support a household \u2014 and an additional 30.8% generate less than $100,000 in sales. These smaller farms hold 30% of the 893 million acres of land in farms, said an annual USDA report. The largest 4% of farms, with more than $1 million in sales, operate nearly 26% of U.S. farmland.<\/p>\n
Agriculture<\/p>\n
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