IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/fpr/dsgddp/9.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Smallholder African agriculture: progress and problems in confronting hunger and poverty

Author

Listed:
  • Resnick, Danielle

Abstract

In contrast to uniformly pessimistic assessments about Sub-Saharan Africa's (hereafter Africa) ability to meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), this paper examines recent trends in poverty, malnutrition, and growth to delineate where the challenges are the greatest within the entire region and sub-region and to highlight informative cases of success in specific countries. The performance of agriculture, especially smallholder agriculture, receives particular attention due to its role in sustaining the livelihoods of a majority of Africa's poor. In recent years, the importance of smallholder agriculture has been greatly recognized, demonstrated by both African governments and the donor community pledging to engage in the requisite interventions for generating agricultural growth. By seizing on this new enthusiasm and learning from case studies of smallholder successes, agriculture could significantly contribute to Africa's ability to meet the MDGs.

Suggested Citation

  • Resnick, Danielle, 2004. "Smallholder African agriculture: progress and problems in confronting hunger and poverty," DSGD discussion papers 9, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    • Handle: RePEc:fpr:dsgddp:9
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://hdl.handle.net/10568/155842
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Govereh, Jones & Jayne, Thomas S. & Nijhoff, Jan J. & Shawa, Julius J. & Haantuba, Hyde H. & Belemu, A. & Ngulube, E. & Zulu, Ballard & Banda, A.K., 2002. "Developments in Fertilizer Marketing in Zambia: Commercial Trading, Government Programs and the Smallholder Farmer," Food Security Collaborative Policy Briefs 54604, Michigan State University, Department of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics.
    2. Gabre-Madhin, Eleni Zaude & Haggblade, Steven, 2003. "Successes in African agriculture: results of an expert survey," MSSD discussion papers 53, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    3. Lawrence E. Hinkle & Maurice Schiff, 2004. "Economic Partnership Agreements Between Sub‐Saharan Africa and the EU: A Development Perspective," The World Economy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 27(9), pages 1321-1333, September.
    4. International Food Policy Research Institute, 2002. "Ending hunger in Africa: only the small farmer can do it," Issue briefs 10, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    5. Thirtle, Colin & Beyers, Lindie & Ismael, Yousouf & Piesse, Jenifer, 2003. "Can GM-Technologies Help the Poor? The Impact of Bt Cotton in Makhathini Flats, KwaZulu-Natal," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 31(4), pages 717-732, April.
    6. Diao, Xinshen & Yanoma, Yukitsugu, 2003. "Exploring regional dynamics in Sub-Saharan African agriculture," DSGD discussion papers 2, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    7. Beyers, Lindie & Thirtle, Colin G., 2003. "Can Gm-Technologies Help African Smallholders? The Impact Of Bt Cotton In The Makhathini Flats Of Kwazulu-Natal," 2003 Annual Meeting, August 16-22, 2003, Durban, South Africa 25922, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    8. Brenton, Paul, 2003. "Integrating the least developed countries into the world trading system : the current impact of EU preferences under everything but arms," Policy Research Working Paper Series 3018, The World Bank.
    9. Gabre-Madhin, Eleni Z. & Haggblade, Steven, 2004. "Successes in African Agriculture: Results of an Expert Survey," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 32(5), pages 745-766, May.
    10. Diao, Xinshen & Dorosh, Paul A. & Rahman, Shaikh Mahfuzur, 2003. "Market opportunities for African agriculture: an examination of demand-side constraints on agricultural growth," DSGD discussion papers 1, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    11. repec:bla:devpol:v:21:y:2003:i::p:333-355 is not listed on IDEAS
    12. Minot, Nicholas & Ngigi, Margaret, 2004. "Are horticultural exports a replicable success story?: evidence from Kenya and Côte d’Ivoire," MTID discussion papers 73, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    13. repec:rus:hseeco:123712 is not listed on IDEAS
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Smith, Lisa C. & Wiesmann, Doris, 2007. "Is food insecurity more severe in South Asia or Sub-Saharan Africa?: A comparative analysis using household expenditure survey data," IFPRI discussion papers 712, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    2. Barham, James & Chitemi, Clarence, 2008. "Collective action initiatives to improve marketing performance: Lessons from farmer groups in Tanzania," CAPRi working papers 74, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    3. Sylvain Dessy & Jacques Ewoudou & Isabelle Ouellet, 2006. "Understanding the Persistent Low Performance of African Agriculture," Cahiers de recherche 0622, CIRPEE.
    4. Kenneth Harttgen & Stephan Klasen, "undated". "Analyzing Nutritional Impacts of Price and Income Related Shocks in Malawi and Uganda," UNDP Africa Policy Notes 2012-014, United Nations Development Programme, Regional Bureau for Africa.
    5. Ellen Aab¯ & Thomas Kring, "undated". "The Political Economy of Large-Scale Agricultural Land Acquisitions: Implications for Food Security and Livelihoods/Employment Creation in Rural Mozambique," UNDP Africa Policy Notes 2012-004, United Nations Development Programme, Regional Bureau for Africa.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Diao, Xinshen & Hazell, Peter B. R. & Resnick, Danielle & Thurlow, James, 2006. "The role of agriculture in development: implications for Sub-Saharan Africa," DSGD discussion papers 29, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    2. Hazell, Peter B.R., 2012. "Leonard K. Elmhirst Lecture: Options for African Agriculture in an Era of High Food and Energy Prices," 2012 Conference, August 18-24, 2012, Foz do Iguacu, Brazil 127070, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    3. Abdulai, Awudu & Diao, Xinshen & Johnson, Michael E., 2005. "Achieving regional growth dynamics in African agriculture: past lessons and future challenges," DSGD discussion papers 17, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    4. Douillet, Mathilde, 2012. "Trade policies and agricultural exports of Sub-Saharan African countries: Some stylized facts and perspectives," MPRA Paper 40962, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    5. Bumb, Balu L. & Fuentes, Porfirio A. & Johnson, Michael E., 2011. "Policy options for improving regional fertilizer markets in West Africa:," IFPRI discussion papers 1084, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    6. Aklilu, H.A. & Udo, H.M.J. & Almekinders, C.J.M. & Van der Zijpp, A.J., 2008. "How resource poor households value and access poultry: Village poultry keeping in Tigray, Ethiopia," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 96(1-3), pages 175-183, March.
    7. Oluyede Clifford Ajayi & Festus K. Akinnifesi & Gudeta Sileshi & Adeola O. Ajayi, 2009. "Agricultural policies and the emergence of cotton as the dominant crop in northern Côte d’Ivoire: Historical overview and current outlook," Natural Resources Forum, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 33(2), pages 111-122, May.
    8. Oluyede Clifford Ajayi & Festus K. Akinnifesi & Gudeta Sileshi & Sebastian Chakeredza, 2007. "Adoption of renewable soil fertility replenishment technologies in the southern African region: Lessons learnt and the way forward," Natural Resources Forum, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 31(4), pages 306-317, November.
    9. Langyintuo, Augustine S. & Mungoma, Catherine, 2008. "The effect of household wealth on the adoption of improved maize varieties in Zambia," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 33(6), pages 550-559, December.
    10. Smale, Melinda & Mason, Nicole M., 2012. "Demand for Maize Hybrids, Seed Subsidies, and Seed Decisionmakers in Zambia," Food Security Collaborative Working Papers 123555, Michigan State University, Department of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics.
    11. Paul Cross & Rhiannon T Edwards & Philip Nyeko & Gareth Edwards-Jones, 2009. "The Potential Impact on Farmer Health of Enhanced Export Horticultural Trade between the U.K. and Uganda," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 6(5), pages 1-18, April.
    12. Nin-Pratt, Alejandro & Yu, Bingxin, 2008. "An updated look at the recovery of agricultural productivity in Sub-Saharan Africa," IFPRI discussion papers 787, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    13. Maren Radeny & Elizaphan J. O. Rao & Maurice Juma Ogada & John W. Recha & Dawit Solomon, 2022. "Impacts of climate-smart crop varieties and livestock breeds on the food security of smallholder farmers in Kenya," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 14(6), pages 1511-1535, December.
    14. Jeremy Foltz & Ursula Aldana & Paul Laris, 2014. "The Sahel's Silent Maize Revolution: Analyzing Maize Productivity in Mali at the Farm Level," NBER Chapters, in: African Successes, Volume IV: Sustainable Growth, pages 111-136, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    15. Kaminski, Jonathan & Headey, Derek & Bernard, Tanguy, 2011. "The Burkinabè Cotton Story 1992-2007: Sustainable Success or Sub-Saharan Mirage?," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 39(8), pages 1460-1475, August.
    16. Michel Fok & Marnus Gouse & Jean-Luc Hofs & Johann Kirsten, 2007. "Contextual appraisal of GM cotton diffusion in South Africa," Post-Print halshs-00176546, HAL.
    17. Hanjra, Munir A. & Qureshi, M. Ejaz, 2010. "Global water crisis and future food security in an era of climate change," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 35(5), pages 365-377, October.
    18. Lee, Yunkyung & Perrin, Richard K. & Fulginiti, Lilyan E., 2022. "Potential Economic Impacts of Gene-edited High-oleic Soybeans," 2022 Annual Meeting, July 31-August 2, Anaheim, California 322392, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    19. Pascal Sanginga & Jackson Tumwine & Nina Lilja, 2006. "Patterns of participation in farmers’ research groups: Lessons from the highlands of southwestern Uganda," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 23(4), pages 501-512, December.
    20. Nicholas Sitko, 2008. "Maize, food insecurity, and the field of performance in southern Zambia," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 25(1), pages 3-11, January.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:fpr:dsgddp:9. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: the person in charge (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/ifprius.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.