For this to happen, a strategic national plan is needed. This plan must address several key issues. The small farm population is growing and performance of these small farms is correlated with resource availability and accessibility. Therefore, more resources, both human and fiscal, are needed to address the needs of this growing clientele. Some groups of small farmers, especially low income, socially disadvantaged farmers are actually receiving less attention today than they were 20 years ago.
Small farmers are diverse.
Traditional stereotypes do not hold. All kinds of Americans are small farmers and a national small farm program must work with these different groups to learn with and provide assistance to many different segments of the small farm population. A healthy American agriculture requires production at many scales. Like the American population as a whole, the ethnic background of American small farmers is increasingly diverse. Just as diversity brings strength to our society as a whole, it increases the dynamism and creativity in the small farm sector.