Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book examines the reasons for the persistence of small farms in marginal areas of one advanced Western country, Italy’s Northeastern Sicily and Southern Calabria. It discusses the persistence of small farms from the point of view of their position within the social system. The performance by small farms of the role of legitimation fosters a number of contradictions. As far as agriculture is concerned, the existence of disequilibria is translated into the continuous existence of a duali Stic pattern of agricultural development that, in turn, implies the continuing persistence of small farms. The small farm sector occupied a marginal position both economically and geographically as its productive role shrank. The book also examines the implications and perspectives that the analysis developed for Italy has in regard to the case of the United States.