The  value of small-scale farmers
When looking at some of the cattle ranches of Ethiopian or Tanzania, to name but a few countries in Africa with ranches of many thousands of hectares ,it is very revealing to see how really important they are. Even though these large ranches have thousands of head of cattle their actual contribution to the cattle numbers and subsequent meat production for their respective countries is in all honesty minimal. Often contributions of less than 5% can be attributed to these large units. Small farming units numbering tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of individual family farms account for usually 90% of total production. The amazing thing is that the majority of these farming units are comprised of literally a couple of acres of land. Yes it is true that these farms are often only able to bring subsistence to their owners at times, yet they are crucial to the feeding of their nation and to factors such as agricultural contributions to gross domestic product figures (GDP). GDP contributions from agriculture certainly in many countries such as India and many of the countries of Africa contribute greatly with anywhere between 50 to 80% of total GDP.
In Great Britain (UK) the picture is of a different set up. No high levels of the workforce being employed in agriculture with in fact less than 2%. Agricultures contribution to UK GDP a mere 2% approximately. The importing of a lotof foodstuffs is commonplace in the UK and although we could produce a higher percentage of our own vegetables we choose not to but instead to import. UK food production although it could be slightly increased is restricted by climate so more heavily dependent on imports . Yet with currently 2.5 million people out of work and yet sadly problems with obesity and corresponding health problems such as type 2 diabetes ,a return to working on the land would be good for the nation as a whole.
In the United Kingdom certain small farms which a generation or so ago would have been able to provide for the needs of their family have now for many years not been able to do so. The result has been that farmers have often had to take a second job in order to supply for the needs of themselves and their family. When I use the word small I am not referring to a farm which is 10 or 20 or 30 acres but in fact to farms that are 50 or 100 or even 150 acres. Further I am not referring to Upland farms with harsher climates and poorer soils but to these size farms in lowland areas able to grow grass and corn. What has led to this relatively dramatic change in the ability of these farming units to supply for the needs of families which they once used to? The cost of living is the main factor with the following being part of the problem:
Energy supplies. Gas and electricity being the normal thing to have in one's house has become increasingly expensive.
Taxes. Both income tax and council tax has increased greatly over decades
Diesel and petrol costs have risen at an alarming rate.
High house rentals and expensive mortgages.
There are also those little things which so many of us in the West have come to rely upon things such as: television, satellite TV, computers with Internet access, washing machines, dishwashers, electric cookers, central heating and mobile phones.
Some of these things most certainly could not be seen, even a few decades ago, to be essential yet now schoolchildren are expected to have access to the Internet for homework causing many parents to have to invest in a computer. Even with some of the things that have been part of the home for 20 or 30 years like televisions, washing machines, central heating, break down at times, costing money to repair. Many people have to commute to get to their jobs involving either expensive public transport or having to run a car with the expense of not only the fuel but also road tax, car insurance, and repair costs.
In relation to the cost of a house the following example may be helpful. When I was first married nearly 25 years ago in 1987 a small house similar to the one that we purchased was around £30,000. 10 years later the same house was valued at 60 to £70,000. Back in 1987 if I had been able to secure  full-time lecturing in agriculture my wage may have been around £20,000 a year but it had only increased to £23-£25,000 10 years later. Many couples were only just able to pay the mortgage and deal with the expensive cost of living but with property prices more than doubling but wages only increasing a couple of percent  a year at best along with inflation ,the situation became dire for many. Thousands of families had their houses repossessed, ourselves  included, not able to deal with such increases. The same increases in house prices and subsequently in mortgage repayments were completely reflected in Private rentals being also double what they were a decade earlier. The social housing developed by Labour soon after the Second World War with tens of thousands of council houses was no longer able to help. No longer able to help many people in need of affordable accommodation because the councils had been allowed by subsequent Conservative governments and also by new Labour to  allow tenants to purchase their council houses at a discount. Sadly there was no significant housebuilding programmes by any of the governments leading to those in need having to pay the very expensive private rental fees and upfront charges.
The farmer in his 50 or 150 acre farm also had his car to run, gas and electric bill, water bill, Council tax, and increased rents and mortgages on their farms. Even with the relatively generous subsidy payments worth thousands or in some cases tens of thousands of pounds each year, even to these relatively small farms, many have become unable to make a living off units of this size. Historically former owners or the tenants of these farms would have supported several families. The strange thing is that whereby 100 years ago half of a family's income would go on food now food for the modern family is relatively cheap at approximately a fifth or sixth of average income.
Many of you reading this will still have close links with agricultural life through family as well is being maybe yourselves farmers and I would value the sharing of your experiences and reflections on the situation in the UK compared with your own. For myself although I do enjoy some of the luxuries of Western living such as free healthcare, free education and welfare state to enable one's family to have accommodation and food even if out of work, there are many things which I believe we now lack having become too removed from the land. Even for those of us in the UK still involved with the land it is a vastly different farming practice that I see today compared to what it was 70 to 80 years ago. The forum topics on tractors and fertilisers explain some of these changes and how in my opinion they are not changes for the better.
God bless you all ,Farmer Andy