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Dear Alex Duncan, FARM-Africa is a British based NGO that has been working directly with poor rural African farmers and herders since 1985. FARM works in Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and South Africa. FARM-Africa, in collaboration with the Centre for Development and Poverty Reduction, Imperial College and the British NGO Harvest Help, have produced a policy paper that makes a strong argument for increased levels of investment in the smallholder African agriculture sector as an effective way in which to contribute toward poverty reduction. In an attempt to stimulate debate in this e-forum I have asked two questions and provided a few answers, as we see them. What are the poverty reduction options available in sub-Saharan Africa? * Growth. Considering the nature of economic growth needed for people to climb out of poverty and the sectors in which such growth my be located, we argue that despite its many challenges, sustainable intensification of smallholder agricultural production should be a key component of national anti-poverty strategies in most, if not all, countries of sub-Saharan Africa. Sustainable intensification means that smallholders are able to raise crop yields and/or livestock production without depleting the natural resource base (soil fertility, grazing land etc) on which their production depends. What are the necessary conditions that will contribute to the development of the smallholder farmer sector? * Empowering the rural poor. Farmers' groups and other community-based organisations should be strengthened so they can voice their needs and take part in policy decision-making; public agencies need to be more decentralised and accountable. * Support services. There are widespread and major gaps in agricultural service provision in most rural areas of sub-Saharan Africa that urgently need to be addressed and resolved. * Increasing access to credit. While micro-finance initiatives have succeeded in certain areas there are still large numbers of smallholder agricultural producers many of whom live in remote rural areas that remain excluded from this market. * Markets. While many smallholders knowledge of local markets are good they are often unaware of opportunities that exist further a field. With the increased sophistication of agricultural markets, smallholders will need this type of information if they are to be able to consider adapting and diversifying their production strategies. * Infrastructure. Further investment in infrastructure that seeks to connect poor households living in remote rural areas with the wider national economy will facilitate the expansion of a range of market opportunities, improve producer - trader linkages and reduce both input and support service delivery costs. * Northern agricultural policies. While the need to reform the distorted agricultural policies of the North is important, they should not become the sole focus of attention and should not prevent the flow of resources to the initiatives outlined above. * Institutional reform. The need to reform national ministries of agriculture as well as producing coherent rural development strategies and implementation plans are for many countries in sub-Saharan countries prerequisites for large additional investments in the agricultural sector. Our recommendations for the 'way ahead' and the full text of our paper entitled: 'Reaching the Poor A Call to Action' can be found at www.farmafrica.org.uk <http://www.farmafrica.org.uk> and we hope that it will be posted on the e-forum website shortly. Dr Christie Peacock Chief Executive FARM-Africa 9-10 Southampton Place, London, WC1A 2EA, UK Tel: +44 207 430 0440 Fax: +44 207 430 0440 emai: <address removed> website: farmafrica.org.uk FARM-Africa has a fundamental belief in the capacity of small-scale farmers and herders to improve their own well-being. For further information on our work, please visit our website at www.farmafrica.org.uk <http://www.farmafrica.org.uk/> Email Disclaimer This email and any files transmitted with it are confidential and intended solely for the use of the individual to whom they are addressed. Any views or opinions presented are those of the author alone and do not necessarily represent those of FARM-Africa. If the content of this email is to become legally binding, it must be made in writing and signed by a duly authorised representative of FARM-Africa. If you have received this email in error, please notify the author. If you are not the intended recipient, you must not use, disclose, copy, print or rely on this email. ============================================================= To send a reply to this message that goes to all list members, make sure that you send your reply to <address removed> To unsubscribe from this list, send an email to "<address removed>", with the message body: unsubscribe growth-and-poverty <your-email-address>
Please visit dfid-agriculture-consultation.nri.org.