Challenges That Small Farmers Are Undergoing.

Both vegetable farming and livestock increase are liable to the whims of nature and big business competition.

Fremont, CA: Recently, small farming seems as risky as ever. Despite loving the life they have and not wanting to do anything else, commercial farming can be challenging because of the double problems of global economics and changing weather patterns. Both vegetable farming and livestock increase are liable to the whims of nature and big business competition.

Drought and Floods

Farmers have often been subject to the whims of the weather. Too little rain and a crop fail to germinate. Heavy rain and it drowns. However, the farmer loses unless seasonal conditions arise within the window that enables a crop to grow. Irrigation has mediated the impact of drought to a specific extent, but irrigation can cause problems such as lowering the water table and salinizing soils. Regardless of changing weather patterns and climate change, farmers face more problems than ever as they try to produce food, not realizing what the weather has in store.

Petroleum

Agribusiness is completely dependent on petroleum. Except for minuscule farms that can be functioned by hand or with the support of horses, this is as right for small farms as it is for greater ones, as virtually all commercial farms employ tractors and petroleum-derived fertilizers and pesticides. Hence, along with being beholden to the weather, farmers respond to the whims of the global petroleum economy. Suppose petroleum costs spiral out of control or petroleum accessibility becomes undependable, as predicted by some forecasters. In that case, small farmers will face serious challenges to their capacity to maintain food production and support themselves.