Facing the general trend towards larger but fewer farms since 1935, the US government implemented a protective safety net for small farmers during 1933-96 which did not halt it but incurred market distortions and other drawbacks. It then switched to market oriented measures in 1996 which have...

Paper presented at the IAMO Forum 2004 “The role of agriculture in Central and Eastern European rural development: Engine of change or social buffer?” 4 – 6 November 2004, Halle (Saale), Germany