A claim you will see everywhere is that smallholders grow 70 to 80% of the world’s food.
It is one of the most repeated statistics in agriculture, and the best available data says it is roughly double the truth.
TL;DR
- Farms under two hectares produce about 30 to 34% of the world’s food on 24% of the world’s agricultural land, not the 70 to 80% often quoted.
- Small farms under two hectares are 84% of all farms but hold only about 12% of farmland.
- The largest 1% of farms, those over 50 hectares, operate more than 70% of the world’s farmland.
The production estimates here come from Our World in Data’s analysis of the Ricciardi and Herrero datasets, alongside FAO’s State of Food and Agriculture.
What Each Farm Size Actually Grows
| wdt_ID | wdt_created_by | wdt_created_at | wdt_last_edited_by | wdt_last_edited_at | Farm size | Share of world\'s food | Share of farmland |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | emmanuel-ashemiriogwa | 01/08/2026 12:54 AM | emmanuel-ashemiriogwa | 01/08/2026 12:54 AM | Under 2 hectares | ~30 to 34% | ~24% |
| 2 | emmanuel-ashemiriogwa | 01/08/2026 12:54 AM | emmanuel-ashemiriogwa | 01/08/2026 12:54 AM | Under 5 hectares | almost half | ~one-third |
| 3 | emmanuel-ashemiriogwa | 01/08/2026 12:54 AM | emmanuel-ashemiriogwa | 01/08/2026 12:54 AM | Over 50 hectares | most of the rest | over 70% |
Smallholders under two hectares produce about 29% of the world’s crops measured in calories, using around a quarter of agricultural land, achieving more per hectare because smaller farms tend to reach higher yields.
They also grow a more diverse mix and devote more of their land to food rather than feed or fuel.
Nuance That Survives a Data Refresh
The myth-busting number hides an important regional truth. FAO’s 2025 assessment finds that farms larger than 50 hectares supply about 60% of global dietary energy, while smallholders under two hectares still produce nearly 60% of food in low- and lower-middle-income countries.
Both facts are true at once. Big farms feed the world in aggregate; small farms feed the poorest places.
Where the U.S. Fits
The United States sits firmly at the large-farm end of this spectrum.
American agriculture is dominated by big, mechanized operations that produce enormous output per worker, which is exactly the pattern that lets a small fraction of farms supply most of the calories globally.
For US and UK readers, the takeaway flips the usual romance: the food system that fills Western supermarkets runs mostly on large farms, while smallholders remain the backbone of food security in the developing world.
ELI5
People often say tiny farms grow most of the world’s food. That is not quite right.
Small farms grow about a third of the world’s food, and big farms grow most of the rest.
But in poorer countries, small farms are still the main way people get fed.
Sources
