Family farming (FF), a social category made up of individuals living in the rural milieu who work the land for productive and reproductive purposes, mainly with other family members, has assumed considerable importance as a social entity in a number of countries. Several definitions of FF are currently in use, however, including the one developed by the Specialized Meeting on Family Farming (REAF), adopted via Resolution 25/07 of the Common Market Group (GMC); another set out in the 2010-2030 Central American Strategy for Rural Area based Development (ECADERT); and a third proposed by the Andean Community (CAN 2011). A number of countries have also adopted an official definition in which they recognize FF as a social category that is the subject of public policies with differentiated measures. The year 2014 was a milestone in the positioning of FF at the global level, with the United Nations General Assembly (UN 2011) and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO 2013) declaring it the International Year of Family Farming (IYFF). The aim in doing so was to draw attention to FF’s actual and potential contributions to global food production.