Structural development of livestock farms in a global perspective

Abstract

Structural development in agriculture has several international dimensions, and the topic is relevant and important for several reasons. There is a wide range of economic, structural and technological drivers that in a complex context both inhibits and promotes the structural development. The structural development in agriculture and in the livestock sector has obvious international trends, where number, size, concentration, specialization of farms and herds change. While rich countries have fewer and larger farms, the development is just the opposite in a number of developing countries. The rich countries have the lowest concentration and the greatest equality in the structure of ownership, and it illustrates that structural development towards increasing size does not necessarily mean an increasing concentration. In a global perspective a strong correlation between the concentration in the society as a whole and in agriculture is seen. The vertical integration in the form of contract production and cooperative ownership is increasing in several places in the world. Labor emigration from agriculture is also a general feature during economic development, and this will intensify labor productivity and unlock resources for other sectors.