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Alternatives for Small Farm Survival: Government Policies Versus the Free Market

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 April 2015

Luther G. Tweeten  and
William A. Amponsah
Luther G. Tweeten
Affiliation:
Agricultural Marketing, Policy, and Trade, Department of Agricultural Economics, The Ohio State University
William A. Amponsah
Affiliation:
Department of Agricultural Education, Economics, and Rural Sociology, North Carolina A&T State University
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Abstract

This paper briefly outlines a topology of small farms and then considers the role of the government versus the market in key public policies such as commodity income support, environment, stability, research, and rural development. A number of options are explored for public policy to better serve small farms, including drastic alternatives such as graduated property taxes on farmland, with exemptions or lower rates for small farms. These and other alternatives are not necessarily recommended. Improved extension education and human resource development offer some of the most promising public policy opportunities to help small farmers.

Keywords

governmentlimited resourcemarketprogramsresearchruralscalesmall farm
Type
Invited Paper Sessions
Information
Journal of Agricultural and Applied Economics , Volume 28 , Issue 1 , July 1996 , pp. 88 - 94
Copyright
Copyright © Southern Agricultural Economics Association 1996

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