OAK BROOK, Ill. — The knowledge gap on how household challenges impact the farm business is a major hurdle that needs to be addressed to ensure the profitability, survivability and resilience of the farm sector. To help close this knowledge gap, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service and Farm Foundation are hosting a one-day virtual conference on Sept. 13.
The conference, U.S. Farm Households’ Social and Economic Needs and the Future of Agriculture will feature paper presentations and panel discussions to broaden the long-standing body of work seeking to understand why, how and which farm families are able to cultivate successful farm businesses in the face of ongoing changes and the inherent instability of the agricultural sector; initiate the scientific debate on the linkages between farm households’ social and economic needs, social policies and farm business development; develop new networks of family farm scholars working on these topics; and better understand the data available to understand these relationships, as well as identify data gaps.
Conference contributors will also have the opportunity to submit a paper for inclusion in a special issue of the journal Agriculture and Human Values. Anyone is welcome to participate in the virtual conference and there is no cost to register. Register online here: farmfoundation.swoogo.com/farmhouseholds/begin
The conference is being organized by the National Farm Medicine Center, Ohio State University, Colorado State University, USDA-ERS and Farm Foundation.
