Breaking with the traditional family farm, agricultural firms are on the rise in many parts of the world. Unlike a few "megafarms" often covered by the media, most such firms have escaped a closer look.
They have many faces, about which little is known. Just how are they organized. How does a family farm become an agricultural firm? What kinds of players are involved? What kinds of politics? What conflicts could they provoke?
Their financial performance and environmental and social impacts should be of interest to politicians, agricultural professionals, and scientists alike.