ABSTRACT
Sustainability is increasingly viewed as the post-industrial paradigm guiding agriculture. The sustainability paradigm emerged as a possible solution for such problems created by the industrial model as declining quality of rural life and the environment, and resource base degradation. When analyzing the effects of farm size on sustainability it is important to consider not only farm size but also the organization of and links within the agriculture industry. Some might argue that the increase in farm size, and accompanying reliance on off-farm inputs, mechanization, specialization, and globalization in the recent past are contributing to the strength of the “economic link” in the food chain. D. Glover and K. Kusterer identify a major goal of small farm operators to be to increase the “security and income of their families while retaining their independence as owners and operators of a farm enterprise”. The potential “benefits” of small farms appear to outweigh the potential “costs” when viewed in a sustainable development context.
