This study clarifies the purposes of farm typologies in research and agricultural policy making and develops a framework to enhance their usefulness and usability for policy making. Farm typologies help identify patterns across diverse farm systems and describe agricultural heterogeneity. They support policy design by providing information about target groups, such as voluntary agri-environmental schemes tailored to specific agricultural landscapes and farm types. However, farm typologies are often developed from scratch with limited connections to previous studies and policy making. The study reviews 13 systematic studies on farm typologies and develops a framework linking their purposes to the stages of the policy process. The framework suggests that connecting knowledge across these purposes improves the validity, transferability, and relevance of farm typologies for agricultural policy making. It also encourages cooperation between developers and users of typologies and improves typologies through new data and methods like machine learning. The framework identifies multiple purposes of farm typologies, including understanding farm systems, policy making, and identifying policy target groups. It also highlights challenges such as perceived fairness, legitimacy, and the need for data collection that includes behavioral factors. The framework emphasizes the importance of considering the stages of the policy process when developing and using farm typologies. The study concludes that future research should build on existing work on farm typologies but must be aware of the specific challenges associated with their use in the policy process. The framework provides a guide for researchers and policymakers in using typologies that best suit their purpose. It also highlights the need for transparency, stakeholder involvement, and the integration of new data and methods to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of agricultural policies. The framework helps to align policies with their target groups and raises awareness of challenges in the development stages of farm typologies. It also provides guidance for the development of typologies and their use in policy making. The study emphasizes the importance of considering the different stages of the policy process when developing and using farm typologies.This study clarifies the purposes of farm typologies in research and agricultural policy making and develops a framework to enhance their usefulness and usability for policy making. Farm typologies help identify patterns across diverse farm systems and describe agricultural heterogeneity. They support policy design by providing information about target groups, such as voluntary agri-environmental schemes tailored to specific agricultural landscapes and farm types. However, farm typologies are often developed from scratch with limited connections to previous studies and policy making. The study reviews 13 systematic studies on farm typologies and develops a framework linking their purposes to the stages of the policy process. The framework suggests that connecting knowledge across these purposes improves the validity, transferability, and relevance of farm typologies for agricultural policy making. It also encourages cooperation between developers and users of typologies and improves typologies through new data and methods like machine learning. The framework identifies multiple purposes of farm typologies, including understanding farm systems, policy making, and identifying policy target groups. It also highlights challenges such as perceived fairness, legitimacy, and the need for data collection that includes behavioral factors. The framework emphasizes the importance of considering the stages of the policy process when developing and using farm typologies. The study concludes that future research should build on existing work on farm typologies but must be aware of the specific challenges associated with their use in the policy process. The framework provides a guide for researchers and policymakers in using typologies that best suit their purpose. It also highlights the need for transparency, stakeholder involvement, and the integration of new data and methods to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of agricultural policies. The framework helps to align policies with their target groups and raises awareness of challenges in the development stages of farm typologies. It also provides guidance for the development of typologies and their use in policy making. The study emphasizes the importance of considering the different stages of the policy process when developing and using farm typologies.