Take a minute and consider this recent Science Daily article titled: “The number of the world's farms to halve by 2100.”
According to the article, “New research shows the number of farms globally will shrink from 616 million in 2020 to 272 million in 2100, posing significant risks to the world's food systems.”
This data is strictly based on the UN Food and Agricultural Organization on agricultural area, GDP per capita, and rural population size of more than 180 countries from 1969 to 2013.
This alarming study doesn’t factor in what’s happened in recent years, which is a massive loss of farmers around the world due to government policies.
Considering the evolution of declining farms and the battles farmers are currently facing, this may likely happen long before 2100.
An Alarming Look at Our Vanishing Farms
Let’s review some facts to see how serious the threat actually is:
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“After peaking at 6.8 million farms in 1935, the number of U.S. farms fell sharply until the early 1970s. […] In the most recent survey, there were 2.00 million U.S. farms in 2022, down from 2.20 million in 2007. Similarly, the acres of land in farms continue its downward trend with 893 million acres in 2022, down from 915 million acres ten years earlier.” [USDA]
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“62% of agricultural workers were over 55.” [USAFacts]
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“There are at least 570 million farms worldwide, of which more than 500 million can be considered family farms. Most of the world’s farms are very small, with more than 475 million farms being less than 2 hectares in size.” [FAO]
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“86% of U.S. agricultural products are produced on family farms or ranches.” [American Farm Bureau]
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“One U.S. farm feeds 166 people annually in the U.S. and abroad. The global population is expected to increase by 2.2 billion by 2050, which means the world’s farmers will have to grow about 70% more food than what is now produced.” [American Farm Bureau]
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“Worldwide, the percentage of people who work in agriculture has dropped from 44% in 1991 to 26% in 2020.” [The World Bank]
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“More than 40% of farm operators to retire by 2033, leaving shortage behind in Canada.” [Financial Post]
- “Though the US dairy industry has lost more than 77,000 farms since 2000.” [Capital Press]
Going back to the Science Daily article, the author suggests, “Currently, we have around 600 million farms feeding the world, and they're carrying 8 billion people on their shoulders. By the end of the century, we'll likely have half the number of farmers feeding even more people. We really need to think about how we can have the education and support systems in place to support those farmers."
These farmers are carrying 8 billion people on their shoulders!
Why Farmers Are Walking Away
We need MORE farmers, but there are fewer and fewer people willing to risk it.
It is becoming so difficult to be a farmer that multi-generational family farms are closing regularly, with parents refusing to pass on the stress to their children.
Capital Press explains, “The increase in record keeping and audits surrounding animal husbandry, worker wellbeing and sustainability, along with the growing expectations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions all make it that much less appealing to stay in the industry.”
To make matters worse, governments around the world are regulating farmers until they are forced to give up and quit.
The push to green farms is pushing farmers out of business.
This is serious, folks.
The United States has felt some of the farming stress, but all it takes is a look at what is happening around the world to see we’ve got a big problem heading our way.
An Update on the Netherlands
We have written about the Dutch farmer protests in the past.
As a quick refresher, the European Union approved a plan where the Dutch government will start buying out farmers’ businesses at 100-120% of their appraised value as part of its goal to cut nitrogen emissions in half by 2030… and they cannot farm elsewhere.
The farmers say the government keeps changing their numbers—such as how many farms need to go—and making new regulations.
Dutch dairy farmer Ad Baltus claims, “Every time the government throws new figures out. This time, it’s the nitrogen, then it’s the water quality, and then it’s the biodiversity, then there is CO2. Every time there comes new regulation, young farmers worry about their future.”
That was the final straw for Dutch farmers. They started protesting. They even formed a new political party.
The Farmer-Citizen Movement (BBB) started in 2019 during the initial farmers’ protests. In 2023, they surprised the world by capturing 15 of the Senate’s seats and almost 20% of the vote.
The main incentive for voting for the BBB was because of its stance against cuts in nitrogen emissions.
[Related Read: What the Heck Is Happening in Holland?]
What’s Going on with Farmers in Germany
Currently, German farmers are protesting en masse.
Shutting down roads, 10,000 tractors with loads of manure joined truckers in a protest against the government in Berlin.
Why? Regulations.
According to Breitbart:
“Tractor protesters themselves are at odds with government policies that seek to raise more cash for the state by punishing those who use machines. In agriculture’s case, this means increased fuel costs by the government withdrawing a diesel subsidy, and ending the taxation exemption for agricultural vehicles. Farmers say agriculture is dying in Germany by a ‘thousand cuts’ and these nakedly anti-farmer policies by the left-green-centrist coalition government are the ‘straw that broke the camel’s back.’”
Another reason the German farmers are protesting? Hypocrisy.
Peter Sweden posted on X, “Germany's government wants to spend €200 MILLION on luxury helicopters for ministers. Meanwhile they are increasing fuel taxes for the farmers to ‘save money’ and to save the planet. The farmers are not happy.”
Meanwhile, the German Finance Minister told farmers there was no money for further subsidies. And, shocker, the protests are being blamed on extremists.
Agriculture Issues in Romania
Currently, Romanian farmers are also protesting by driving tractors and trucks near the border of Ukraine and other large cities.
In this case, they are protesting high tax rates and delayed compensation payments.
Politico explains, “Farmers are demanding faster payment of subsidies and compensation for those affected by drought or disruptions caused by Ukrainian grain imports.”
France and Spain Are Also Dealing with Farming Regulations
In January 2023, farmers in Spain protested after the government announced plans to restrict how much water farmers could take from the Tagus River.
In February 2023, French farmers drove tractors throughout Paris to protest a pesticide ban.
French farmers have continued to protest and are following German farmers’ lead.
Jim Ferguson recently reported on X:
“Farmers fighting back in France in solidarity with their German compatriots. The Globalists are panicking. Klaus Schwab has gone very quiet. Government buildings getting covered in manure. […]
“Hundreds of Tractors and several thousand protestors have taken to the streets in Toulouse in France as the potential for the German farmers' protests gains momentum. The fightback for fair fuel and an end to attacks on the farming industry by the WEF and the Globalists is getting underway in other countries and has every indication of spreading internationally.”
The United States Is NOT Immune
If you have been reading Survival Scout for any amount of time, you know that America’s farms are in trouble.
We may not be seeing manure-filled tractors blocking roads yet, but if our government continues to follow the WEF and push costly environmental policies, it’s only a matter of time before it happens.
(Consider stocking up on bulk emergency food in #10 cans in case of protests affecting the supply chain.)
Here are just some of the threats against farmers in the United States:
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Chinese and other foreign investors are buying up American farmland.
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“Pension funds, Wall Street investors, and other well-funded entities and individuals looking for good investments have been buying up domestic farmland.” [The Hill]
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Others, like Bill Gates, are buying up farmland for lab-created food sources and to produce bugs as food.
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America’s government is pushing farmers to cut greenhouse gas emissions.
- Farmers in America also must deal with animal welfare regulations that require more space for animals.
According to the Paso Robles Press, “Family farms cannot afford to keep up with increasing regulations involving how their crop is produced and in complying with labor laws — leaving large corporate farms as the only ones who can withstand the increased output.”
Prepare Now
If farmers are regulated out of business, we’ll be at the mercy of a reckless government to provide us with food.
I don’t know about you, but the push to eat bugs, lab-created meat products, and synthetic fruits and veggies doesn’t sound appetizing… or healthy.
We need to prepare now.
- Buy seeds. Get heirloom seeds for yourself and your loved ones and start your own veggie garden today.
- Stock up on emergency food. Fill your pantry with staples like bread, rice, eggs, and proteins. We don’t know when farms will go bust, but we will feel better knowing we have the essentials on hand.
- Start hobby farming. If your area allows hobby farming, now is the time to get ducks or chickens.
- Support local farmers. Shop at the local farmers’ market or butcher shop. Make connections with these farmers for the future.
Support your family by supporting farmers, friends.
In liberty,
Elizabeth Anderson
Preparedness Advisor, My Patriot Supply
