Supporting Smallholder Farmers in Africa: A Framework for an Enabling Environment

Smallholder farmers form the backbone of economic activity in most African countries. They have the potential to play a crucial role in supplying food to the continent’s population and bringing about economic transformation in rural areas. However, government policies and practices are often unresponsive to their needs, meaning they struggle to improve their productivity or access to markets. To start to improve the environment for farmers, we need to understand what policies and practices are beneficial to them. This framework can be used to guide government and donor decisions and is a useful advocacy tool for NGOs and civil society.