Abstract: Taking the survey data of 4795 farming households in China’s 31 provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities) from 2011 to 2013 as samples, this paper makes an analysis of the current situation, characteristics, changes and development trends of farming households. The results show that such aspects as age, gender, level of education, household economic capacity of farmers will directly affect their farming behaviors. The existing small farmers and their extensive operation mode are difficult to ensure food security effectively. Considering the major farming subjects, the farming households currently at their prime of life with a moderate size of farm land and a certain economic capacity are suitable to grow into the business entities of food production.

Key words: farming households; scale of operation; development path; food security