topics

Working Group 1.1
Will smallholder farming remain viable in Africa? What interventions are needed to support family farming?

English speaking working group

Resource persons

Moderator

Yvonne Pinto (Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation)

Questions to guide working group discussions

What are the main pressures on smallholder livelihoods in Africa? How are the conditions for competitiveness changing? Please consider the role of changing market conditions, new technology, demographic and environmental change?
How do the impacts vary between regions depending on agricultural potential, access to markets and population density?
How are smallholders responding to these changes (diversification, out-migration, entering wage labour force)? Is there evidence of the declining viability of smallholder agriculture in Africa, and should we be concerned about this?
How can smallholder farming be supported to encourage market entry and enhance competitiveness?
What technological and institutional innovations are required to ensure the future of smallholder farming?
How can market and other risks be better managed?
How can vulnerable households be best assisted?
What are the implications for development strategies, and what do donors need to do differently?

These questions illustrate the range of issues that could be addressed by the working groups. While they should not be considered to be the only issues that may be discussed, and participants are at liberty to raise others that fall within the scope of the working groups, presenters are asked to consider giving priority to some of these questions.

Please note that all working groups are asked to consider: What are the implications for development strategies, and what do donors need to do differently?

partners: European Commission. Directorate General Development and Relations with African, Caribbean and Pacific States | Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations | Global Donor Platform for Rural Development | Department for International Development (DFID), UK | Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), Germany | Irish Aid, Department of Foreign Affairs, Ireland | Ministry of Foreign Affairs, France | Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs/Development Cooperation, The Netherlands | Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), Switzerland | Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation ACP-EU (CTA) | Deutsche Gesellschaft für technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ) GmbH, Germany | InWEnt Capacity - Building International, Germany