OECD Food, Agriculture and Fisheries Papers
NB. No. 1 to No. 58 were released under the previous series title OECD Food, Agriculture and Fisheries Working Papers.
- ISSN: 18156797 (online)
- https://doi.org/10.1787/18156797
Cross-Country Comparison of Farm Size Distribution
This report summarises selected measures of the farm size distribution for fourteen OECD countries: Canada, Estonia, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Latvia, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, the United Kingdom (England) and the United States over the period 1995-2010. The farm size statistics are presented for four major production systems: crop, dairy, cattle and pig farming. The report documents consolidation of agricultural production in large-scale farms in most countries and sub-sectors covered by the report. Nevertheless, farm size growth rates show substantial differences across countries and periods which underlines the importance of country-specific natural, social, and economic conditions and the regulatory and policy environment for the evolution of farm structures. Increased inequality in farm size distributions, as captured using Gini coefficients, indicates a trend towards more polarized farm structures.
Keywords: agriculture, farm size distribution, structural change
JEL:
Q18: Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics / Agriculture / Agricultural Policy; Food Policy;
Q12: Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics / Agriculture / Micro Analysis of Farm Firms, Farm Households, and Farm Input Markets;
L11: Industrial Organization / Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance / Production, Pricing, and Market Structure; Size Distribution of Firms;
D30: Microeconomics / Distribution / Distribution: General
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