August 28, 2014
Family farming is a predominant form of agriculture both in developed and developing countries, with over 500 million productive units in the entire world, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). FAO is promoting 2014 as the international year of family farming. This particular form of agriculture work refers to farms that are managed by family members and are usually small or medium in size and productivity. Information and communication technologies (ICTs) are playing a key role in this scenario. New generations of younger farmers are embracing ICTs, demonstrating that the two spaces can be complementary. Mobile phones, particularly, are providing a great platform to connect them to the “rurbanity,” a new (key) concept to understand hybrid spaces where cities and the countryside are part of the same social reality.
