Addressing food security means working with smallholders and not against them
DIIS researcher Ian Christoplos and Sanne Chipeta from the Knowledge Centre for Agriculture of the Danish Agricultural Advisory Service have engaged in the recent debate on agriculture and food security in Africa. In an article in Jyllands Posten they point out that the majority of agriculture is in the hands of family farms and there is no indication that this is likely to change in the foreseeable future. There is therefore a need to work to strengthen women’s roles within a household perspective and focus more on the extension and other institutions that serve smallholders. Prevailing gender norms and inefficient service providers are a reality that need to be dealt with. Bypassing them ot work with large commercial producers ignores the reality of who is actually responsible for food security. The importance of this perspective is being made more apparent due to climate change as the strategies of households to maintain production and manage risks are being increasingly recognised as highly appropriate for managing growing uncertainty.
