Smallholders

As I look at the planning an direction of agriculture in Malawi and (to a lesser extent) Mozambique I've gotten to see the two different models of farm operation - the smallholder (maybe 2 acres) and the commercial farmer (50 acres and above). Most government programmes in Malawi tend to focus on the smallholder, as he grows the staple maize and cassava crops to feed himself and those around him. One problem, however is that where a commercial farmer may grow (with the right variety selection, fertilizer application and weed control) 8T/Ha, a smallholder will often average about 0.8T/Ha. Malawi has put in place a scheme to subsidise fertilizer prices for smallholders, but this will be difficult to continue to the same extent with rising fert prices. It must be said in relation to maize production that Malawi exported maize to Zimbabwe last year, when 10 years ago it was very much the other way around.

As people say to me, the smallholder is happy if he has enough to feed his family - if you don't know the things you don't have, then you don't miss them. I guess it depends to what extend people want to change the way they live. In manyways agriculture is like that of Britain and Ireland 200 years ago, and I hope the people here don't experience the same heartbreak that some of my ancestors experienced as things change.

Still, even if someone has a job, often they will have a patch of maize somewhere in town.


Til later, God bless,

Greg.

P.S. - Happy Mothers day to the mothers in my family.