 In the 21st century, farming remains a relatively small but still significant industry in Connecticut, employing some 12,000 people as of 2010.Ending years of steady declines, between 2002 and 2012 the number of Connecticut farms increased 43 percent, with one possible cause an increased consumer appetite for locally sourced food, drawing some younger people to start up small farms.Connecticut had nearly 6,000 farms with 437,000 acres of land as of 2012, producing $551 million in revenue that year.