These communication policies should break through the misconception that sustainable and regenerative agriculture is a return to a low-technology, backward form of agriculture. In addition, there is growing evidence that small farms can produce more food than large-scale agriculture when total output rather than a single commodity is taken into account. A strong family farm agricultural development has been and is in fact the precondition for economic transition in most countries. Further, small farms have multiple functions which large farms lack. They embody diversity - biodiversity, diversity of ownership, of cropping systems, landscapes, culture and traditions.
Small farms produce environmental benefits in terms of soil, water and wildlife.
Special reference should be made to indigenous peoples as creators and conservers of agrobiodiversity, and holders of knowledge, practices and innovation systems that sustain food security in large areas of the planet. Decentralized land-ownership encourages economic opportunity in rural areas. Small farms create a personal connection to food through rural-urban exchanges and farmers markets. They are vital to the economy, both in developed and developing countries. The vital role of women in food production and rural well-being, especially in the South, must be supported in agricultural policy and communicated in education and training.