Agriculture of the Middle

Abstract

SynonymsCollective marketing; Disappearing middle; Emergingmarkets; Farmers of the middle; Midsized farms; Values-basedfood supply chainsIntroductionThis entry focuses on ethicalissues associated with the decline and potential renewal ofmidsized farms and ranches in the USA. The ``disappearingmiddle'' was first identified in the 1980s. Contemporaryattention to the dynamics of this declining farm sector isaccompanied by strategies for renewing an ``agriculture of themiddle.'' A national agriculture of the middle initiative positsa threefold approach to rebuilding the middle sector of the USfarm and ranch structure through new business and marketingstrategies, particularly those identified as ``values-based''food supply chains, public policy changes, and research andeducation support.Ethical considerations focus on five areas:(1) diversity, resilience, competition, and opportunity inagriculture; (2) fairness and equity through the supply chain;(3) consumer choice and control; ( ...