farmer |
The importance of
agriculture in sub-Saharan Africa cannot be underestimated. Over 70% of
the arable land is under smallholder agriculture. The sector employs
more than 70% of the workforce, and is the primary source of income for
rural populations. It contributes significantly to foreign exchange
earnings and accounts for more than 35% of national gross domestic
product.
It is therefore
important that smallholder farmers are supported to modernise their
operations in order to grow viable business enterprises that can
generate enough income to sustain the needs of their households. Linking
farmers to the market should be a priority for any agricultural
programme that aims at poverty reduction.
Initiatives to
develop market linkages for smallholder agricultural production have
faced a number of challenges. Smallholder farmers are typically poor and
practice low input agriculture, not by choice but due to poverty. This
results to low productivity and production. Big buyers find it
problematic to deal with this category of farmers due to inconsistency
and unpredictability of supply. Encouraging farmers to organise into
viable producer groups could provide some solutions to these challenges.
It is therefore important to build capacity in group governance as well
as transparency for group leadership, so that they can effectively
manage and administer the groups' affairs.
Other challenges to market linkages include:
Transport
infrastructure: Poor transport infrastructure makes marketing of
agriculture produce uneconomical. Most productive areas are remote and
not well connected to the main market hubs. Transport to and from these
areas is very expensive for transporters as they have to take wear and
tear costs into consideration. Governments can accelerate development of
smallholder commercial agriculture production by upgrading feeder
roads.
Lack of market
information: Due to the scattered and unorganised nature of smallholder
agriculture and lack of communication tools, most farmers are ignorant
of potential markets. They rely on extension workers, where they exist;
otherwise it is by word of mouth, which in most cases the information is
distorted or inaccurate. It is therefore important that a good
information system is developed for smallholder farmers so that they can
make informed decisions for their enterprises.
Climate change:
Climate change poses a big threat to agricultural production, more so
for smallholder agriculture, which is mostly dependent on rainfall.
Changing rainfall patterns is a challenge to consistent production and
productivity. Any interventions that will mitigate the impact of climate
change on agricultural production should be mainstreamed in any
initiative that promotes commercialisation of smallholder agriculture.
As an emphasis, it
is crucial that smallholder farmers are supported to modernise their
operations in order to grow viable business enterprises that can
generate enough income to sustain the needs of their households.
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