Farm size

Before going organic, the family must decide what standard of living they require from the farm and what income they are likely to require in the future. This is not to say that all the income must come from the farm often there will be supplementary income from a different source, but the likely income from the organic farm must be calculated as accurately as possible. On large farms where several workers are employed it soon becomes clear whether, for instance, the sheep enterprise is paying the wages of the shepherd. It may be less obvious if 

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A breakdown of rural communities has taken place in the Nordic region. In Finland, for example, in their TOO-hectare loneliness , the remaining farm families now run their mechanised farms in an industrial mode. As recently as 20 years ago, there were rural communities with an average farm size of 10 ha. With fewer farms and a reduced rural population, there is loss of infrastructure and services for those who remain, further accelerating the move to urban areas. The overall situation adds external cost to the farming and food sectors, but often the cost is borne by society in the form of subsidies from the federal government or the EU, or they are passed on to future generations. 

Highland perennial based on perennial crops, e.g. banana, plantain, enset and coffee. Land use is intense, holdings are very small (<1 ha). Cattle are raised for milk, manure and social security. Major constraints are decreasing farm size, declining soil fertility and limited opportunities for off-farm activities. 

Highland temperate mixed cereals, e.g. wheat and barley, and legumes, e.g. pea and lentil, are the main staples. Farm size is 1-2 ha. Soil productivity suffers from soil erosion and lack of inputs. Cattle are kept as draught animals, for milk, manure, savings and emergency sale. Off-farm activities are limited. 

Maize mixed the most important food production system in East and Southern Africa, also exists in parts of West Africa. Typically, there is a single cropping season some areas experience a shorter second season. Farm sizes are often <2 ha. Main cash sources are small ruminants, tobacco, coffee and cotton. Cattle are kept as draught animals, for... 

Equity in this section is discussed in three dimensions first, the equity in terms of farm size and number of farms in the African organic sector, which indicates equity between organic and non-organic farmers, second the distribution of revenues along the value chains, which indicates equity across different vertical actors, and third, gender equity. 

Country Number of farms Area (ha) Average farm size (ha)... 

For groundboom application (Table 5.15), the highest values for inhalation exposure were calculated with the Dutch model. Higher values for dermal exposure were calculated with the European models than with the PHED model where application exposure was lower by approximately a factor of 10. Differences in local practices, farm sizes and statistics used could contribute to the range of valnes bnt cannot be confirmed because a study design of the PHED studies has not been pnblished. 

Around 1920, much of the market for agricultural machinery made by U.S. manufacturers was not in the United States, where farm sizes were still relatively small, but outside the country, in such places as Canada, Argentina, Australia, and Russia, where farms were considerably larger. Fitzgerald, Yeoman No More, chap. 2, p. 31. 

These are small scale farmers found in every district with farm sizes ranging from 70 to 100 ha. These farmers would be encouraged to grow jatropha plants surrounding their farm land, with each farmer growing at least 2 ha. The estimated seed output from these farmers is 18 million tonnes/year. 

The small scale or farm-size oil expressing machines are intended for use by individual farmers or groups of farmers (cooperatives) who produce oilseeds such as jatropha, castor beans, sunflower and soya beans. The idea is to extract oil at the farms and then transport it to a biodiesel processing plant located at some centre in a district or province where it would then processed into biodiesel. The farm set-up will comprise an oil expressing machine and filter press to clean the oil. 

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