The world's smallest farms feed more people than you might think, research shows

World Economic Forum, 2021

Roughly 81 percent of all food, feed and fuel crops were grown on farms of up to 199 hectares. Taking into account the average farm sizes of the biggest crop producing countries in the world, this number becomes less surprising. China leads the world production of rice, wheat and many vegetables and operates mainly small farms, often smaller than half a hectare, to supply its own growing population. The roughly two million farms in the U.S., which is the biggest producer of maize, soybeans and almonds, have an average size of 444 acres or 180 hectares on the other hand.

Only five percent of the total amount of crops are grown on big farms larger than 1,000 hectares like the family farm of world-leading almond and pistachio producers Stewart and Lynda Resnick with roughly 77,000 hectares or 190,000 acres. This divide also shows a discrepancy in terminology: The term "family farms" is often used to describe smallholdings, while in reality, it can be any farm owned by one individual or a group of individuals where the labor is mainly supplied by the family.