Small Farm Businesses: A Typology of Farm, Operator, and Family Characteristics with Implications for Public Research and Extension Policy
No hay miniatura disponible
Fecha
Título de la revista
ISSN de la revista
Título del volumen
Editor
Resumen
Descripción
Data from a 1979 New York survey were analyzed
to develop a systematic multivariate typology
of small farmers (i.e., operators of small
farm businesses) which would be useful in designing
and targeting public program. Farm business
size, operator's age, and off-farm employment
were the most important dimensions of variation.
A typology was constructed by successive dichotomization
of low and moderate sales volume farms;
operators 49 years of age and under, and 50 and
over; and families with and without off-farm income.
Means for economic and social indicators
were computed for each of the resulting eight
categories. Low sales volume farm families with
relatively old operators and without off-farm
employment were found to experience very low total
family incomes. Suggestions are made regarding
how public extension and research program:; may be
developed and targeted with specific categories
of the most needy small farmers in mind.