In a conversation with Selorm Kobla Kugbega—a Research Fellow affiliated with the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) and the Swedish International Agriculture Network Initiative (SIANI)—he shared critical insights from a chapter he co-authored with Agnes Andersson in The Handbook of African Economic Development about gender dynamics, policy challenges and the future of smallholder-led economic development in Africa.
According to the World Economic Forum, there are approximately 570 million smallholder farmers who produce more than 70% of the world’s food despite owning less than two hectares of land. In many Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) countries, smallholder agriculture employs a large share of the population and contributes significantly to food production and rural development; however, farmers face numerous socio-economic and structural challenges.
In the 22nd chapter of The Handbook of African Economic Development, titled “Smallholder Agriculture and Agrarian Livelihoods,” authors Selorm Kobla Kugbega and Agnes Andersson, bring attention to challenges such as weak and unequal access to technology and vulnerability to climate and market variations. The authors stress the need for tailored policies that address the complexity of SSA farmers.
What are the primary challenges smallholder farmers face in accessing agricultural policies, and how can these barriers be addressed?
Smallholder farmers, particularly women and marginalized groups, face enormous challenges due to the lack of tailored policies and the socio-cultural organisation of rural communities. These challenges are often manifested in limited access to land, technology, and economic opportunities.
Women, for instance, are often relegated to subsistence farming, focusing on household food security rather than commercial production. This division is reinforced by structural barriers, such as limited access to inputs, technology, and land, which the vast majority of women can only access through their male relatives.
However, land access and tenure insecurity are not exclusive to women. Most smallholders operate on communal or customary land, which lacks formal recognition and is often subject to disputes or state usurpation.
“Without secure land tenure, smallholders face significant risks that discourage investment and limit agricultural production,”
Another growing concern, is youth engagement in agriculture. Nowadays, many young people have become disinterested in farming due to its limited economic opportunities in comparison with other sectors such as migration or mining and the constant reduction in land size. This has discouraged the next generation from pursuing farming as a profession.
Technological innovations such as mobile agricultural platforms and frugal innovations developed by smallholders themselves to adapt to the economic and environmental challenges they face can boost smallholders’ engagement with markets, especially for niche products. Notably, we see an increase in smallholders deploying innovative post-harvest drying technologies, mobile on farm processors and motorbike powered land preparation tools which have been engineered as local innovations to fit the particular context of agricultural production. In most cases however, many of these adapted technologies, including those adapted to local innovations, remain out of reach for many smallholder farmers unless they operate within cooperatives or unions.
