Poverty Alleviation Through Technology-Driven Increases in Crop Production by Smallholder Farmers in Dryland Areas of Sub-Saharan Africa: How Plausible Is This Theory of Change?

David Harris,Judith Oduol,Karl Hughes

doi:10.3389/fsufs.2021.723301

Abstract

The current paradigm of agricultural research and extension in support of rural development in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is to disseminate improved technologies designed to increase the generally low crop yields per hectare on individual farms. Using data from a baseline survey (n = 7,539) from a large rural development programme implemented in five countries in SSA, we calculate the increases in yield per hectare required to significantly contribute to poverty alleviation for households managing such farms. We estimate the gap between current crop productivity and the productivity required to reach a poverty line of $1.90 per capita per day adjusted for Purchasing Power Parity (PPP). We find this gap to be very large, both in percentage and absolute terms. Median additional gross crop productivity required to reach this poverty threshold was: $324/ha/year (254% increase) in Mali; $1,359/ha/year (1,157% increase) in Niger; $4,989/ha/year (665% increase) in Ethiopia; $1,742/ha/year (818% increase) in Burkina Faso; $2,893/ha/year (1,297% increase) in Kenya. The required additional productivity taking account of production costs including the opportunity cost of family labor would need to be even higher. Given that (a) values of net productivity of improved rainfed crop technologies reported in the literature rarely exceed $1,000/ha/year; and (b) the majority of arable farms in SSA are two hectares or less with increasing trends toward land fragmentation, we argue that closing the yield gap among smallholder farmers in SSA will never—alone—be sufficient to meaningfully alleviate the high levels of poverty and deprivation many currently experience.

Highlights

The current paradigm of agricultural research and extension in support of rural development in Sub Saharan Africa (SSA) acknowledges that smallholder farmers are numerous, widespread and together produce large amounts of food and other produce (Lowder et al, 2016; Ricciardi et al, 2018a)
The difference between current yields obtained by farmers vs. potential yields obtainable under ideal conditions, exist for all major crops grown in SSA (Van Ittersum et al, 2013; Global Yield Gap Atlas, 2020)
Median farm size ranged from only 0.63 hectares in Ethiopia to 7 hectares in Mali

Summary

Introduction

The current paradigm of agricultural research and extension in support of rural development in Sub Saharan Africa (SSA) acknowledges that smallholder farmers are numerous, widespread and together produce large amounts of food and other produce (Lowder et al, 2016; Ricciardi et al, 2018a). Crop Production and Poverty Reduction individual smallholder farms, tend to be relatively low (Tittonell and Giller, 2013; Van Ittersum et al, 2016; Ricciardi et al, 2018b; Giller et al, 2021). The current predominant theory of change is that these low yields must be increased substantially to alleviate poverty and increase food security of smallholder farm families, as well as to increase national, regional and global food production (Godfray et al, 2010; Godfray and Garnett, 2014). If smallholder farmers adopt these improved technologies and operate them at a farm scale, while maintaining “small plot” levels of efficiency, logic would suggest that both poverty and food security goals can be achieved simultaneously

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