SIERRA LEONE maq 4ª.indd - agrilife - Europa

up an agrarian system. The household farming
system31 is an element of the agrarian system and
it illustrates how a production unit combines the
different production factors (such as land, labour
and technology). The ASD methodology provides
an in depth analysis of the characterisation and
economic performances of farming systems
based on the regional socio-economic and agroecological
conditions. This methodology was
developed to study relatively small regions, where
information and data are directly collectable as
part of field investigations; thus fitting with the
specific features of the present Sierra Leone study.
Applying this methodology a descriptive and
comparative analysis of the survey results is made
between and within the two studied regions.
Based on ASD methodology, the
smallholder characteristics were assessed not
only by describing their demography, access to
infrastructure and communication or community
leadership and social participation at the village
or chiefdom level, but also their differentiating
farming resources and practices. To understand
these socio-economic features of smallholders
in different regions, the results of the survey
are illustrated at region and district levels.
However, to analyse viability and poverty at
farm level, smallholders were grouped into
different farm types depending on crop mix
and crop production orientation (market or selfconsumption).
This categorisation based on the
dominant cropping system is expected to shed
light on the farm organisation and how it affects
farm household capacity to sustain their farming
systems and secure a minimum consumption
level from farm output.
Next, a description of the approach
implemented to evaluate the economic
performance and viability of smallholders is
31 A farming system is defined as a population of individual
farms which have broadly similar resource endowments,
enterprise patterns, family circumstances, household
livelihoods and constraints, and for which similar
development strategies and interventions would be
appropriate (FAO 2001 Farming System and Poverty)
introduced in sub-section 5.2.1 and in subsection
5.2.2 input factor productivity at farm
level is discussed.
5.2.1 Calculation of economic performance
As stated, the evaluation of economic
performance of smallholders includes viability,
poverty and a productivity assessment. For this
purpose, the calculation of the level of agricultural
income of smallholders is a mandatory step in
order to analyze economic viability with respect
to a reproduction threshold and the capacity to
fulfil basic consumption needs by introducing a
poverty line. Below, the measurement principles
and procedures of farm household income,
reproduction threshold and poverty line are
explained.
Farm household income calculation
A comprehensive measure of farm-
household income is a key indicator which
considers all household activities. However,
given the focus of the survey, it is not possible
to account for all non-farm income and thus
agricultural production activities rather dominate
farm household income calculation in this case.
Farm Net Income (FNI) is determined on
a micro scale using technical and economic
parameters, i.e. yield, off-farm prices of the
produce, production costs and depreciation,
it does not include policy parameters, such
as (subsidies, credits, taxation32 and market
policies). The FNI is based on the survey results
obtained by subtracting all Input Costs (IC)
(Variable Costs and Fixed Costs) from Output
Value (OV) for each individual household
(Equation 1). The Farm Gross Margin (FGM) is
calculated as the difference between the Output
Value and the Variable Costs. Based on the survey
results, secondary data and expert knowledge the
analyses provide information also concerning
32 Smallholders in the survey are not subject to agricultural
taxation. See Section 3.4.2 (Jalloh, 2006)
Rural poverty reduction and food security: The case of smallholders in Sierra Leone
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