As America's small farmers dwindle to a precious few, they remain national icons with broad public support and impressive political clout. This paradox highlights the economic, political, and symbolic power of farming in the United States, all of which may not suffice to save family farms.
References
1.
BrownDavid L.SwansonLouis E., eds Challenges for Rural America in the Twenty-First Century. University Park, PA: Pennsylvania State University Press, 2003. This collection provides a comprehensive view of the population, family structure, economy and environment of rural America today.
2.
BrowneWilliam P.The Failure of National Rural Policy. Washington, D.C.: Georgetown University Press, 2001. Browne analyzes the vested interests and organizational players that caused present agricultural and rural development policies to bypass the great majority of rural Americans.
3.
ButtelFrederick H.“Some Reflections on Late Twentieth Century Agrarian Political Economy.”Sociologia Ruralis41 (2001): 165–181. Buttel explains how sociologists have understood agricultural change and addresses contemporary social forces such as globalization and concentration in the food sector.
4.
FloraCorneliaInteractions Between Agro-Ecosystems and Rural Communities. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press, 2001. This volume highlights how small farmers in various nations adapt to environmental and economic change.
5.
LobaoLindaMeyerKatherine. “The Great Agricultural Transition: Crisis, Change, and Social Consequences of Twentieth Century Farming.”Annual Review of Sociology27 (2001): 103–124. This is a succinct discussion of the major sociological research on farming, changes in farm structure, the effects of farming on communities and farm family adaptations.
6.
RayDaryll E.DanielG.De LaTorre-UgarteTillerKelly J.Rethinking U.S. Agricultural Policy: Changing Course to Secure Farmer Livelihoods Worldwide. Knoxville, TN: Agricultural Policy Analysis Center, 2003. In this report, the authors explain recent U.S. farm policy, focusing on the causes and consequences of changes in farm subsidies.
7.
SalamonSonyaNewcomers to Old Towns: Suburbanization of the Heartland. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2003. Salamon examines how ways of life in traditional farming communities change when urban people move in.
8.
WimberleyRonald C.HarrisCraig K.MolnarJosephTomazicTerry J.. The Social Risks of Agriculture: Americans Speak Out on Food, Farming, and the Environment.New York: Praeger, 2002. Drawing on years of national surveys, this book documents trends in public perceptions of farming, including agrarianism and support for family farming.
