Taking smallholder farming to the next level

Abstract

In developing countries, dependency on the agricultural sector, especially represented by smallholder farmers, is high. Approximately 90% of food in Africa is produced by smallholders.
Smallholder farmers are defined as farmers cultivating less than 2 ha. They often run their business relying on traditional farming methods, making limited use of agricultural inputs. In addition, only a small share of smallholder farmers sells part of their produce, whilst the rest only farms for self-sustenance. Many initiatives in past and present times are aimed at increasing the productivity of smallholder farmers, some supplying agricultural inputs, others focusing on the distribution of knowledge.

In this research, one of these initiatives was reviewed, namely the Farm Incubator Model as implemented by aQysta. The goal of this commercially-oriented Farm Incubator Model, based in Malawi, is to enlist smallholder farmers and supply them with seeds for cash crops such as garlic, fertiliser, a hydro-powered pump for irrigation and pesticides. This is combined with regular coaching sessions, to familiarise the farmers with the novel technologies and agricultural inputs they are supplied with. The ultimate aim of the model is to enable smallholder farmers to make the transition towards commercial farming. In this study, a threefold approach was used to review this model, which at the time this study was conducted was still in its pilot phase. First of all, interviews were conducted with extension officers tasked with implementing the model and with aQysta office staff members. These were aimed at the exploration of the functioning of the model, the assessment of the way in which the model assists participating farmers. In addition, other participatory learning initiatives were reviewed and compared with the Farm Incubator Model. Also, a quantitative analysis was performed, using
remote sensing data, to analyse the impact of the model. Secondly, an analysis of variance was performed on the fourth Integrated Household Survey, a survey containing over 25,000 entries, focusing amongst others on agriculture in Malawi. The focus of this analysis was to identify whether the smallholder challenges addressed by the Farm Incubator Model are widely recognised. Furthermore, by quantifying them, the severity of these challenges was assessed. Lastly, a literature review focusing on smallholder challenges in Sub-Saharan Africa was conducted, to explore the extent to which the previously found challenges for smallholder farming are recognised in a broader scope. Furthermore, it was reviewed whether the way in which the model is implemented is the best way to reach the goal of commercialising smallholder farmers. It was found that the Farm Incubator Model addresses smallholder farmer challenges accurately and therefore is a very promising way to help smallholder farmers. However, findings suggested that for farmers to be commercial, being independent is imperative. In case of farm incubators, where all inputs are acquired for the participants, this independence can be at stake. For aQysta's Farm Incubator Model this could pose a future challenge.