The future of smallholder agriculture

Platform Policy Brief No.2
The Future of Smallholder Agriculture

The global debate sparked by soaring food prices, including associated threats and opportunities, has highlighted the need for a better and more structured approach towards smallholder agriculture. Platform Policy Brief No.2 “The future of smallholder agriculture” contributes to this debate.

Summary of Platform Policy Brief No.2

The Policy Brief argues that in the early stages of development, small farms are often more efficient than large farms, that smallholder development promises to be more equitable and that it can help to correct gender imbalances. Although links are far from automatic, smallholder development benefits from increasing democracy, participation and decentralisation; thus forums and processes that involve government, private enterprise, farmer representatives and civil society need to be strengthened further.

Policies in support of smallholders should pursue three options for smallholders: ‘stepping up’, ‘stepping out’ and ‘hanging in’. Smallholder development requires significant spending on public goods – for example rural roads, agricultural extension and research. Capacity building and fostering institutions is equally important.

The new architecture of aid, as seen in budget support and sector-wide approaches, needs to recognise that facilitation, co-ordination and flexibility are the hallmarks of small farm policy and provide the required resources.

Further reading

• ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly resolution on poverty reduction for small farmers in ACP countries - in particular in the fruit, vegetable and flowers sector
• Farm Africa, Harvest Help and The Imperial College (2004) Reaching the poor a call to action - Investment in smallholder agriculture in sub-Saharan Africa
• IFPRI 2020 Discussion Paper 42: The Future of Small Farms for Poverty Reduction and Growth
• UK Food Group (2008) More Aid for African Agriculture: policy implications for small-scale farmers
• World Bank (2008) Linking African Smallholders to High-Value Markets: Practitioners Perspectives on Benefits, Constraints, and Interventions, Policy Research Working Paper 4573

Member policies

• EU Land Policy Guidelines: Guidelines for support to land policy design and land policy reform in developing countries, Nov 2004
• DFID policy: Land - Better access and secure rights for poor people, 2007

Comments and links

• Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA)
• Neuchâtel Initiative (NI) - a competence network of rural advisory service specialists
• European Commission DG Development Land Policy

Readers have left 2 comments.

 2. Climate Change andadaptation
Gizex Gizai, Unregistered

In the south end district of Malawi called Nsanjde have an opportunity to adaopt climate change through the plantation of moringa and neem threes which can provide social and economic benefit to these vulnerable farmers.
Farmers can make medicinal powders from these trees and then sell them.

The farmers can make alot products from these cluding soap, glycerine etc of which can also be sold.

At the same time the trees can assisting in the sinking of carborn dioxide from the atmosphere.

Currently the main challenge is to find dependable markets for these productts

 Posted 2010-01-08 09:38:15

 1. Challenges in Smallholder Agriculture
International Institute for Sust, Unregistered

For anyone interested in further analysis or study of smallholder agriculture, check out this online course "Challenges in Smallholder Agriculture": http://www.colostate.edu/Orgs/IISD/courses/Agriculture.html

 Posted 2009-11-23 18:23:18

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