No evidence to support theory that smallholders produce most food
SA Farmers’ Weekly 7/9/2018
Hamlet Hlomendlini
Most agricultural economists don’t spend their days ploughing lands or herding cattle: this is left in the hands of farmers and their farmworkers. In fact, economists are part of the majority of South Africans who eat food but don’t produce it. However, farmers and agricultural economists both know that to make farming work, you need the right combination of resources and the right conditions, which is something many people do not understand, including some government officials.
Unfortunately, these same people feel compelled to raise their opinions on matters relating to farming without verifying the accuracy of their information and views.
I have, many times, come across ridiculous statements that suggest smallholder farmers produce the majority of the world’s food, and that they will have to increase their production by up to 100% by 2050 to feed the world’s growing population. I find this disingenuous, to say the least.
MISLEADING STATEMENTS
It is true that smallholder farming is the dominant form of farming, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, which implies that smallholders constitute the majority of farmers in most developing countries. But this does not mean they produce the majority of the world’s food, and to say this is misleading. There are also often no reliable statistics to back up this claim. In fact, all available information suggests that statistics regarding the production levels of smallholders are problematic. Such statistics are often hard to collect and mostly unreliable, given the poor record-keeping of smallholders.
Moreover, developing countries in which the majority of the population consists of smallholders are heavily dependent on imports, with Africa’s food import bill estimated at between US$30 billion and US$50 billion (R428 billion and R714 billion)
This is a clear indication that farmers in most African countries and other developing regions around the world, where smallholder farming is the most dominant form of farming, are unable to produce enough to feed their local communities. For instance, in South Africa, a country with a very clear dual agriculture sector, roughly 6% of its total maize crop is produced by smallholders, while commercial farmers produce the rest.
DEVELOPING SMALLHOLDERS
Despite smallholders not producing the majority of the world’s food, there is overwhelming evidence that supports the importance of smallholder farming, particularly in terms of feeding rural communities.
However, the vast majority of smallholders face insurmountable, multi-faceted challenges that limit their production capacity.
MOST AFRICAN COUNTRIES ARE HEAVILY DEPENDENT ON FOOD IMPORTS
For example, the land tenure system in communal areas, where most smallholders farm, is one key area related to those challenges. Historically, the communal land system in Africa, including South Africa, allowed everyone in a village to farm without needing ownership rights, which was often viewed as a good thing for equity. But if people don’t own their land, there is little incentive for them to improve it for commercial use. Securing land tenure and improving access to land are vital to increase investment and improve smallholders’ access to financial resources. Without this, smallholders, including those who have aspirations to become commercially viable, will not be able to produce the majority of the world’s food.