Can the smallholder model deliver poverty reduction and food security

Despite the achievements of smallholders in Asia during the green revolution, there is scepticism that Africa’s smallholders — who dominate the farm area in most countries — can imitate this model and deliver agricultural growth. This paper assesses whether such pessimism is justified. Given the high transactions costs of hiring labour of farms, diseconomies of scale can be expected when labour is relatively cheap and abundant compared to other factors of production: which may explain the survey evidence that small farms often produce more per hectare than larger farms. In conditions of low development with relatively cheap labour, small units may have advantages over larger ones.DfI

Success Stories from African Agriculture: What are the Key Elements of Success?

Success is not a word often heard when dealing with contemporary issues in agriculture in sub-Saharan Africa. For 30 years, the overall picture has been one of failure.While other regions of th

Athirat, Asherah, Ashratu: a reassessment according to the textual sources

This dissertation was undertaken partially in response to previous studies on the goddess Asherah. These studies have tended to gather together information from the various cultures in which 'Asherah' appears, and the information is generally presented as a portrait of the goddess. This dissertation approaches the problem from a different perspective. The primary issue addressed is: did the goddess 'Asherah' develop in the same way in all the cultures in which she appears? In order to answer this question, this study considers the evidence as contained in the written records of the first two millennia B.C.E.The mythology preserved in the tablets written by Elimelek in ancient Ugarit is the primary source of information on the goddess Athirat. After considering this mythology, it should be possible to examine Athirat's role in other mythologies, and to attempt to distil her essential characteristics and nature.Within the Ugaritic mythology of Elimelek, she appears most active in the 'Palace of Baal' episode in the Baal Cycle. In this culture Athirat appears primarily in relationship to other gods. She is the consort of El, the head of the pantheon. In the Elimelek tablets her title is rbt alrt ym.This title indicates an unspecified relationship with the sea. She is the mother of the gods but does not, however, appear as an amorphous 'mother goddess'. Her role as a mother is limited to divine children and royal children. She appears to be the rabitu, the 'queen mother'. Although Athirat is associated with the head of the pantheon, she maintains a connection with mortal women. This may account for her emblem, which is a spindle.A goddess Asherah may appear in the Old Testament. Certain passages seem to require a goddess interpretation for the word asherah. In other texts asherah designates a cultic object. If Asherah does appear as a goddess in the Old Testament, her characteristics are difficult to discern.She does not, however, appear as the consort of Baal or as a fertility goddess.Ashratu appears in Mesopotamian sources. The information within these texts are our oldest records of the goddess, and point to her Amorite origins. She is the consort of Amurru and she is connected with the steppe.That she had a temple and active cultus is amply attested in the materials.Ashratu is also attested in a Hittite version of a Canaanite myth. She is known from a number of Epigraphic South Arabian inscriptions. These inscriptions may point to a solar nature in that culture.TThe Khirbet el-Qom and Kuntillet £Ajrud inscriptions may refer to a goddess Asherah, but more likely they denote a cultic object. Their interpretation is uncertain since they cannot be explained adequately with our present knowledge of Hebrew grammar.Conclusions are drawn on the basis of the information available from these individual cultures, each within its own context

Types of RNFE activities and their returns: framework and findings (NRI report no. 2754)

In this study the rural non-farm economy (RNFE) is defined as being all those income-generating activities (including income in-kind) that are not agricultural but located in rural areas. This paper looks at the issues that arise with classifications of the RNFE. It then summarises the information contained in 55 studies concerned with the rural non-farm economy using a framework developed by the authors, which reflects the proposed typology, and finally compares the returns in the rural non-farm economy to those in agriculture in developing countries

The future of small farms for poverty reduction and growth:

"The people operating small farms in developing countries have to cope with the risks of these small businesses and have long faced heavy challenges. Today, these challenges are particularly severe, and the aspirations of young people on small farms have changed. Globalization and the integration of international markets are stimulating intense competition, offering some opportunities but also new risks. In light of these pressures and others, many of the world's millions of small farmers are simply not making it. Indeed, half of the world's undernourished people, three-quarters of Africa's malnourished children, and the majority of people living in absolute poverty live on small farms. The transformation of the small-farm economy is one of the biggest economic challenges of our time. For some, it entails growth into specialized, market-oriented farms; for others, part-time farming combined with off-farm rural jobs; and for others, a move out of agriculture. The pathways of transformation differ by region and location and will take decades. Policy must take a long-run view to support and guide this process efficiently, effectively, and in social fairness. The role of women farmers and their livelihoods requires particular attention. In this paper, Peter Hazell, Colin Poulton, Steve Wiggins, and Andrew Dorward address several crucial questions. Do small farms in fact have a future? In what situations can small farms succeed? What strategies are most appropriate for helping to raise small-farm productivity? The authors review both sides of the debate over the future of small farms before coming to their conclusions. Coming down firmly on the side of policy support for small farms, they point to small farms' significant potential for reducing poverty and inequity. They also clarify the differing roles of and needs for small farms in different country contexts and spell out a policy agenda for promoting small-farm development. This discussion paper is based on a literature review and the deliberations of an international workshop, “The Future of Small Farms,” organized by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) 2020 Vision Initiative, the Overseas Development Institute (ODI), and Imperial College London in Wye, England, from June 26 to 29, 2005. (A proceedings volume for this workshop is available from IFPRI, www.ifpri.org/events/seminars/2005/smallfarms/sfproc.asp.) We hope that this discussion paper will help stimulate renewed attention among many stakeholders— including policymakers, researchers, the private sector, and nongovernmental organizations—to small-scale agricultural development. Healthy and productive small farms could serve as a crucial mechanism for achieving the poverty and hunger Millennium Development Goals. " From Foreword by Joachim von BraunPro-poor growth, Agriculture, Economic development, small farms, Poverty reduction, Sustainable livelihoods, Non-farm development, Rural-urban linkages, small farms,

Agricultural growth and poverty reduction : a scoping study

IDRC GGP working paper seriesThis report, intended to inform the planning of an IDRC programme on globalisation, growth and poverty, sets out a research agenda on agricultural growth and poverty reduction, and outlines the methods and means by which that agenda could be studied. Drawing on a detailed analysis of the environment and factors that influence agricultural development, the report has three sections: setting out the issues considered important to thinking about agricultural growth and poverty reduction; choosing an agenda in the light of what others are doing, the scope for policy leverage, and how it might apply in different contexts; and outlining the methods and means that might be used to implement the research programme. In particular it suggests a focus on rural labour markets ! with linked consideration of migration and the rural non-farm economy that so closely influence the labour markets as well as agricultural input supply, produce marketing and farmer organization in an attempt to understand the institutional changes which might limit market failures

Reforming Agricultural Policy: Lessons from Four Countries

Comparing reform of agricultural policy in Bangladesh, Chile, China and New Zealand, this paper derives lessons for countries contemplating reform. In all cases reforms to farm policy were undertaken as part of overall reforms across the whole economy, started in response to a perceived national crisis and usually implemented by new governments with a mandate to make major changes. Political will is, not surprisingly, a necessary condition. In designing reforms and their implementation, much depends on context, including external conditions such as world market prices. The scope for change, and certainly the sequence and pace of reform, may be as much a matter of administrative feasibility as choice. Where outcomes are uncertain and state capacity limited, gradual approaches to reform that allow for learning may be better than swift and comprehensive -‘big bang’ - packages. This working paper presents the first stage of a review of agricultural reform experiences within African countries, specifically Ethiopia, Kenya and Malawi. It aims to draw out issues for would-be reformers by examining the experience of four cases of agricultural reform, purposely selected as often being seen as successful.DfI

Intellectual Diversity and the Faculty Composition of iSchools

ABSTRACT We provide evidence and discuss findings regarding intellectual distribution and faculty composition of academic units involved in the iSchool community. To better understand the intellectual heritage and major influences shaping the development of the individual and collective identities in iSchools, we develop a classification of the intellectual domains of iSchool faculty education. We use this to develop a descriptive analysis of the community's intellectual composition. The discussion focuses on characterizing intellectual diversity in the iSchools. We conclude with a short discussion of the potential implications of these trends relative to the future development of the iSchool community