Smallholder farmers

1
How relevant is current research on rural
development for Africas development?

• Smallholder farmers perspectives
• Presented by
• Dr Langelihle Simela
• 24 November 2010

2
Introduction

• Source of the perspective
• Activities in NERPO
• Personal opinion
• Livestock farmers (predominately cattle)
• Matters that are covered
• Identification of research needs and conducting
  research
• Application of research findings

3
The perspectives

• Smallholder farmers raise their challenges and
  constraints
• These should then be packaged into research
  development needs by relevant persons
• Farmers organisations
• Extension

4
Challenges and constraints

• Usually multiple and require a multi-disciplinary
  approach to address them
• E.g. Feed back from cattle farmers from Mnisi
  community on primary animal health care needs

Project objectives Investigate the primary
animal health care delivery methods that are
preferred by the communal land based farmers in
Mnisi community

• Farmers challenges priorities
• More grazing
• Shortage of water - more water points
• Ticks

5
Mnisi example

• Other issues
• Poor social cohesion
• Lack of leadership
• Heavily dependent on state support (grants)
  solution for every problem was perceive to be
  government
• i.e Solving the animal health issues will not
  fully address the challenges with livestock
  production
• Research tends to follow a certain discipline at
  the exclusion of others (and often key needs of
  farmers) and hence addressing/application of the
  findings of research could be a challenge

6
Relevance of research

• Science- based solutions to a problem apply to
  both commercial and smallholder farmers
• The challenge is the adaptation of findings to
  suit the smallholder farmers, e.g.
• Problem smallholder farmers having problems with
  poor cow productivity
• Perceived solution use more productive breed
• Real solution use a breed that can be productive
  under the smallholder farmers management
  conditions

7
Adaption of research

• Most end up in thesis, scientific articles and
  research station report
• Very little coordination and collaboration
  between research institutions (duplication,
  repetition).
• Virtual no packaging of information into a
  useable form
• No mechanisms for uptake and feed back
• And hence research is not relevant to the
  developing sector

8
Conclusion

• In South Africa
• Research output is good but too little adaptive
  research
• Not informed by needs of supposed end users
• Limited mechanisms to transfer the generated
  knowledge to intended end user
• Use of multi-disciplanary approach could improve