Farm Africa features in '8 Views for the G8' report
29 May 2013
Farm Africa features in a briefing paper released ahead of the G8 summit in June.
In the paper, 8 Views for the G8: Business Solutions for African Smallholder farmers to Address Food Security and Undernutrition, eight leading development practitioners reflect on linking smallholders to market, and make recommendations for future action and support.
Read the full report (PDF)
Helping smallholders access inputs, knowledge and credit
By Martin Evans, Farm Africa UK Chairman
Over the last 25 years, Farm Africa has provided essential field-level support for improved yields on smallholder farms in Africa. However, it is very clear that without parallel support for market linkages and value addition, smallholders will not reap the full benefit of this increased productivity.
Farm Africa’s particular role is to act as an effective bridge between smallholders and the private sector and government to create an enabling economic and political environment that will drive change at scale. Our experience indicates that among the effective approaches to linking smallholders into value chains are:
- Improved seed production and distribution with closer links to national and international research institutions
- Improved business environments for agricultural producer groups, including the reduction of red tape and improved access to finance and professional advice
- ‘Last mile’ distribution and marketing through commercial quality-assured franchises to address market failures
- Appropriate funding frameworks to help corporations work with smallholder farmers
IN THE POST-2015 AGENDA, G8 LEADERS SHOULD:
- In aid programmes, recognize (a) the critical importance of agricultural Research and Development (R&D) in emerging market economies to developing improved varieties of crops and livestock that can help smallholder farmers combat climate change, manage their resources sustainably and raise productivity, and (b) the key role that NGOs can play in getting these improved varieties out to farmers.
- In designing investment support programmes, ensure that the economic and social interests of smallholder farming communities, as both stakeholders in the resources and as producers who can contribute to the wider economy, are fully recognized and incorporated.
- Stop subsidies that undermine the local private sector and distort local agricultural input and output markets.
- Invest in the growth of local businesses that provide services to smallholder farmers through impact investment funds and business development services.
- Invest in infrastructure (roads, electricity and water) to lower production and marketing costs from rural locations.
