Increasing the food supply: think small, not big

Big is better. Big is more efficient. Big is progress. It is almost ingrained into our psyche that if we are not aiming for ‘big’ things, then we are are not achieving. People are encouraged to think big so they can have a big car, big house and big bank account. Unfortunately it is the same in agriculture. Nearly all farmers want the biggest farm, tractor and yields regardless of the cost. It is strange then that for all our big achievements, smallholders still make up 60% of the world’s agricultural production.

The importance of the smallholder cannot be over stated and what’s more, they are probably the greatest hope for growth in agricultural production. While the large farms in Europe and America are trying to push cereal yields up by fractions of a tonne per hectare using more and more technologically advanced techniques which can often rely on significant inputs, the developing world where the majority of smallholders are based, could double yields relatively simply. They would still fall behind the west in terms of output but these increases would be the easy gains.

The World Bank has created a table which shows the average cereal yield for a number of different countries. While the UK sits at 6.5 to 7 tonnes per hectare, countries such as Kenya reach only 1.5 to 1.7 tonnes per hectare. Simple logic would suggest where the focus should be.

Coupled with this, the global food supply would also see an increase in availability if the smallholder could be connected with it. This is not to suggest that we should not be buying local. There is a significant difference between the cereals supply chain and the fresh produce and meat supply chains. The energy required in fresh produce and meat transportation means that local is nearly always better. Cereals, as a staple have to be treated differently — relatively easy transportation can ensure that they can be moved to the areas where they are needed most easily and efficiently.

So if big is not quite as beautiful as we thought and the easy gains are to be made with smallholders, how do we go about it? Well, one thing that we are not suggesting is a move towards commercial farms and away from smallholders in order to achieve the gains. Nor are we advocating a move to the intensification of smallholders through the use of more pesticides and fertilizers. However, there are things which could be done.

The smallholders are small businesses and therefore, by definition, have limited funds to invest in new farming methods. Even if we wanted to, getting them to buy expensive fertilizers and pesticides is not always an option for the cash poor. Instead, we need to look for simple ways to encourage yields growth such as water storage and retention, availability of better quality seed, and access to market.

Charities are already working in this area, commercials are starting. However, we are at the beginning of the recognition process. Smallholders should not be written off as inefficient and backward. Rather than intensive big farming being the future, maybe it is the smallholder where the real potential lies.

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Originally published at shrinkthesupplychain.com on January 12, 2015.