Getting Started
While the majority of farms and fisheries around the world are small scale, global food supply is governed by few companies. In the United States, the average size of a farm is increasing, farmers are getting older, and barriers to entry to farming profession are high particularly for women and people of color. Globally, women account for about a third of agricultural labor force, yet very few women own land (UN Economic and Social Council, 2018). In the US, only about 11% of principal farm operators are people of color (USDA NASS 2017). Farmworkers are disproportionately exposed to environmental hazards, abusive working conditions, and face dangers connected with immigration. This challenge addresses support for small farmers and farm workers worldwide to support rural livelihoods.
Background
Reference resources provide a starting point for your research projects.
Credo Reference
Credo Reference provides hundreds of encyclopedias, dictionaries, thesauri, and more in one place. Below is a sample of keyword searches in Credo Reference related to this topic:
Call Numbers & Subject Headings
You can use the list of call numbers and subject headings below as keyword searches in our catalog and databases, or you can go to these sections of the library to find books on these topics.
- HC94-1085: Economic history and conditions. By region or country.
- HD28-9999: Industries. Land use. Labor.
- S1-972: Agriculture (General).
Books
Books from Lane Library
All books in this list are located in the Franzen Center on Floor 3A.
- Challenges for rural America / HN59.2 .C43 2003
- Farm work and fieldwork / HD8039.F32 U635 1987
- The farmworkers’ journey / HD1527.C2 L67 2007
- From the farm to the table / S441.H65 F76 2006
- The future of farming and rural life in Wisconsin / S129.F88 2007
- Growing up empty / HC110.P6 S327 2002
- Heartland / HD8073.S63 A3 2018
- How the rural poor got power / JS451.M69 R58 2003
- Importing poverty /JV6456 .M36 2009
- The left behind / HN59.2 .W867 2018
- A people’s history of poverty in America / HC110.P6 P56 2008
- Queering the countryside / HQ76.25 .Q3885 2016
- Rural people and communities /HN59.2 .B753 2019
- Rural poverty in the US / HC110.P6 R8925 2017
- Rural routes & ruts / S521.5.W6 S34 2004
- Social capital and poor communities / HM708 .S64 2001
- Surviving in a material world / HV91 .H53 2001
- Those who work, those who don’t / HC110.P6 S47 2009
- Welfare reform in persistent rural poverty / HC110.P6 W43 2006
- Working the land / F596.S34 W67 2011
- Worlds apart / HC110.P6 D86 2014
Search terms for additional books in Lane Library’s catalog:
Discovery Search: Search Lane Library’s books, ebooks, and articles in one place.
Books from other libraries
WorldCat: Search for books not available at Lane Library and borrow from other libraries for free through interlibrary loan.
Articles
Databases
The following databases are useful places to search for articles. Contact a librarian if you would like more information on how to search for articles on your specific topic.
- Academic Search Complete: Wide range of academic disciplines, including for scholarly and popular journals.
- JSTOR: Full-text archive of scholarly journals in the arts and sciences. Issues from the past three to five years may not be available.
- New York Times: Access to news and archival content from NY Times. If you run into a paywall, here is more information on how to sign up.
- ProQuest Research Library: Includes both popular and scholarly periodicals covering a variety of subjects, with over 3300 titles available in full text.
- ProQuest Social Science Journals: Social science topics.
Get articles from other libraries
If you cannot find a full-text version of the article you need, request it through interlibrary loan. Interlibrary loan is a free service that allows you to borrow books and articles from other libraries. Find answers to frequently asked questions about ILL here.
Statistics and Government Information
Government sources
- U.S. Department of Agriculture
- U.S. Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service: Rural Poverty and Well-Being
- usa.gov : Access to information from federal agencies
- wisconsin.gov : State of Wisconsin government information
- Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection
- Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
Statistics
- CIA World Factbook : Background information on each country in the world
- Proquest Statistical Abstract : Statistics from federal agencies
- U.S. Census Bureau: Poverty Data
