Smallholder farmers hold the key to global food security

Without proper planning and “smart investments”, this growth is likely to damage ecosystems and divert food crop production to animal feed, ultimately imperiling rather than enhancing food security.

One attractive but neglected approach, according to the analysis, is to channel investments toward boosting productivity in areas that are not now seen as prime agricultural lands yet, with the right approach, could be the “next generation” of food suppliers.

For example, the authors note that with proper land preparation and judicious use of fertilizers, lands lying between fertile regions and dry rangelands could triple production of “dryland” crops such as millet, sorghum and cowpea.

Meanwhile, breeders are developing new varieties of these crops that offer both higher yields and better crop residues—such as more nutritious stalks and leaves—that can be used as livestock feed.

The authors also see a need for greater investments in the livestock sector, which, they point out, has been much lower, “often by a factor of ten or more”, than investments in crops, even though livestock are equally critical to the vitality of smallholder farms.

For example, the authors note that farmers could benefit from livestock breeding for more efficient animals.

The authors also call for investments to redress poorly managed livestock intensification efforts that pollute water sources and encourage outbreaks of both animal and human diseases.

The authors caution, however, that intensification also carries risks.

For example, recent outbreaks of avian influenza in Asia might be the result of large concentrations of birds, coupled with poor disease control and underfunded veterinary services in the region.

The authors recommend the development of disease surveillance and early warning systems to manage these risks.

Overall, the authors are asking the G8 countries to match their “commendable and significant” financial commitment to developing-country agriculture with an “intellectual commitment” to understanding the different systems producing food in the developing world and determining where farm yields are “maxed out” and where yields can still be increased.

“Feeding the growing populations of the developing world is a daunting challenge that also presents us with an opportunity to realise the untapped potential of small-holder mixed crop-and-livestock systems,” said Carlos Seré, Director General of ILRI.

“Smallholder farmers have always shown amazing ability to adapt to changing conditions,” he added. “With the right kinds of support, these traditional mixed farming systems can be modified to become pathways out of economic and environmental poverty.”

According to Nepad and Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa, helping Africa to feed itself and transform its agriculture into a more productive, competitive and environmentally sustainable system is the greatest challenge of our time.

Last year, the two organizations joined hands to advocate for policies that support smallholder farmers; build countries’ parliamentary and institutional policy-making capacity; build the capacity of Africa’s public and private institutions involved in Africa, and partner with other stakeholders to co-convene an annual African Green Revolution Conference later this year.