Family Farming: A New Economic Vision
Americans decry the decline of family farming but stand by helplessly as industrial agribusiness takes over. The prevailing sentiment is that family farms should survive for important social, ethical, and economic reasons. But will they? This timely book exposes the biases in American farm policies that irrationally encourage expansion, biases evident in federal commodity programs, income tax provisions, and subsidized credit services. Family Farming also exposes internal conflicts,...
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Americans decry the decline of family farming but stand by helplessly as industrial farming takes over. The prevailing sentiment is that family farms should survive for important social, ethical, and economics reasons. But will they? Possibly not, if current policies are not altered, say Marty Strange. This timely book exposes the biases in American farm policies that irrationally encourage expansion—a bias evident in federal commodity programs, income tax provisions, and subsidized credit services. The farm financial crisis of the 1980s is a result of this trend toward bigness. As family farms are transformed, they become more specialized, more capital-intensive, and less resilient to the inherently unstable conditions in agriculture. Financial risks are therefore greater, and public assistance to expanding farms is more frequent and costly.Family Farming also exposes internal conflicts, particularly the conflict between the private interests of individual farmers and the public interest in family farming as a whole. It challenges the assumption that bigger is better, critiques the technological base of modern agriculture, and calls for farming practices that are ethical, economical, and ecologically sound. The alternative policies discussed in this book could yet save the family farm. And the ways and means of saving it are argued here with special urgency.
\ Nebraska Life\ - Nina Murrary\ "Family Farming is a thorough, clear, and practical introduction to the complex industry that modern agriculture has become. Anyone who doesn't want the next piece of agricultural legislation to slide past their consciousness as a set of superficial slogans must read this book."—Nina Murray, Nebraska Life\ \ \ \ \ Des Moines Register\ - Dan Looker\ “Family Farming easily puts Strange among the ranks of other brilliant critics of the agricultural establishment.”—Des Moines Register\ \ \ Frances Moore Lapp�“No hand-wringing or resignation about the plight of American farmers here—finally, some fresh, original thinking about the farm crisis. Pulling no punches, Marty Strange cuts right to the value questions at stake in American agriculture. Revealing a rare blend of compassion and clear analytical thinking, Strange compellingly argues that Americans do have a choice. We can choose an agriculture that is fair, humane, and sustainable—and economically viable as well.”—Frances Moore Lappé, author of Diet for a Small Planet\ \ \ \ \ The Humanist"Strange's vision is clear and focused. It should be shared."—The Humanist\ \
