Concept and classifications of farming systems

Better understanding and classification of different farming systems enables improved targeting of rural development investments and policies. The term farming system refers to a farm population characterized by similar production and livelihood patterns and broadly similar development needs. Alternatively, the term refers to an agricultural research or development approach characterized by transdisciplinary systems and participatory diagnosis and innovation development, testing and scaling processes. For targeting research, policies and infrastructure, the FAO-World Bank farming systems framework offered a systematic classification, mapping and description of dominant farming systems across all six developing regions of the world.