Small-Holder Farmers
- As part of our expertise in helping to deliver agricultural growth in Africa, a vital service we offer is the development of new models for the support and integration of small holder farming into mainstream commercial agriculture
- Inclusion of small-holder farmers is essential for agricultural growth and a vital ingredient in meeting the commercial and social objectives of all those involved in commodity markets. By utilising small-holder farmers as an engine of growth commercial objectives such as growing markets for input providers, transport firms, or commodity traders are realised simultaneously alongside government and donors’ social objectives of greater food production, poverty-reduction, and rising incomes
- Central to this work is an understanding of the key constraints faced by small-holder farmers, addressing these constraints, and thereby facilitating small-holder farmer access to necessary agricultural inputs and relevant markets
- Overcoming constraints around small-holder development is achieved through comprehensive value chain assessment to define what the constraints are, then utilising key partnerships and employing innovative finance solutions to overcome them
- Whether it is working with key partners to devise innovative credit schemes for farmers, or it is facilitating the provision of key inputs (such as seed, fertilizer, equipment), or it is developing programmes to improve cultivation techniques, Prorustica works to secure the inclusion of small-holder farmers in the process of wider agricultural growth
- Like all of the work Prorustica engages in, we are interested in taking projects and programmes to the largest scale possible to achieve the highest possible returns for those involved. This means we work to include the majority of small-holder farmers not a minority
