Unctad for better policy support to smallholder farmers
World�s smallholder farmers manage just 12 per cent of all agricultural land, but they
produce more than 80 per cent of the world�s food in value terms
BSS
The smallholder farmers require more attention from policymakers so they could use their full potential for sustainable development, according to a report of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (Unctad), reports BSS.
The Unctads annual Commodities and Development Report 2015 noted that the worlds smallholder farmers manage just 12 per cent of all agricultural land, but they produce more than 80 per cent of the worlds food in value terms.
The report estimates that more than 90 per cent of the 570 million farms worldwide are managed by an individual or a family while about 2.5 billion people depend on agricultural production systems for their livelihoods.
The report said the policymakers should take a fresh look at how policies should be designed and coordinated to cater to the needs of the smallholder farmers so they could come out of the poverty, which is also required for sustainable economic growth.
In Bangladesh, where the average farm size is 0.5 hectare, small farms of less than two hectares account for 96 per cent of landholdings, the report, released yesterday, said, but did not put any figure for the total number of smallholder farmers.
Ministry of Agriculture of Bangladesh data show that 2 crore 86 lakh 95 thousand 763 families are involved in farming across the country while the number of farm holdings is 1 crore 51 lakh 83 thousand 183. The ministry did not mention any number for the smallholders.
According to the worlds largest agro-science company Syngenta, 88 per cent of the farm households in Bangladesh are small or marginal, farming 0.05 to 2.49 acres of land.
The Unctad report highlights a number of enduring challenges facing the smallholders. These include limited access to agricultural inputs such as fertilisers, seeds, land and labour and credit markets; unfulfilled capacity to commercialise their produce due to deficient or non-existing infrastructure such as paved roads and lack of access to market information, which leads to power imbalances tilted against smallholders in markets.
Along with the common challenges, the developing countries including Bangladesh are facing a big challenge from the negative of attitude of the young people to agriculture sector due to numerous constraints the smallholders in rural areas have been facing for years, the Unctad report said.
Young people in rural areas tend to abandon agriculture and move to cities, thereby threatening the medium and long-term development of the agricultural sector, the report said.
The report also noted some development in Bangladeshs agriculture sector including increasing number of smallholders and landless labourers participating horticulture production, which helps increase the net farm income per family.
