RA 00048.pdf - OAR@ICRISAT

Changes from Farm-level
Food Self-sufficiency
There is often a definite sequence of agriculturally
related activities following the development of
improved transport systems. Initially, at least in
West Africa, markets for agricultural products
have developed with considerable emphasis on
export cash crops produced, using traditional
techniques. As surplus resources, particularly
labor and sometimes land, were used up, increased
emphasis was placed on disseminating
improved technologies together with the requisite
support systems in terms of modern inputs, credit
and extension services. These have tended until
recently to emphasize export cash crops. The lack
of favorable marketing policies 34 for food crops
and relevant improved technologies for substantially
increasing their production has no doubt
contributed to their lack of market integration
especially with respect to food crops. Thus a food
self-sufficiency orientation continues to be of
overriding importance in the poorer areas where
no export cash crops are possible, while a
confused mixture of food self-sufficiency and
income maximization appear to prevail in many
areas where export cash crops can be produced.
However, a shift away from food self-sufficiency
towards an income maximization orientation has a
profound effect on the lives of farming families
and also has important implications in terms of
what constitute relevant improved technologies.
As we suggested earlier, complex family units
are compatible with a food self-sufficiency orientation.
However, the development of market
systems and access to new information via the
extension services reduces the premium formerly
attached to self-sufficiency. As a result of losing
some of their relevance, complex family units
eventually often disintegrate into smaller nuclear
family units, a trend which is currently occurring
34. For example, in West Africa, many governments, in
a largely unsuccessful attempt to keep food prices
low for the politically volatile urban consumer, have
entered the food crop marketing system, and paid
low producer prices for food crops (IBRD 1981).
However, this has not prevented high retail prices
for food crops being charged in rural areas towards
the time of the harvest period.
throughout West Africa. 35 Two examples illustrating
the ways in which development of market
systems can bring about such changes are as
follows:
1. Increased agitation for more financial independence
on the part of individuals within
complex family units results in greater proportions
of fields under the control of the family
head (i.e.. common fields) being allocated for
individual use, thereby subverting the possibility
of attaining food self-sufficiency and decreasing
the benefits of such units staying
together.
2. For a number of reasons, institutional credit
programs are often directed only at family
heads (e.g., Senegal). 36 This can therefore
mean differentiation in terms of types of
technology applied on the common fields
under the control of the family head and those
under the control of other family members
(Venema 1978). This undoubtedly would encourage
the mutiplication of family heads
through breakdown into smaller nuclear family
units.
Therefore, development of market structures in
aiding the development of product and factor
(e.g., labor, credit, and sometimes land) markets
opens up opportunities for people to benefit
individually. Regardless of whether this is good or
bad, it is emphasized that since it is likely to
continue, it has important implications in terms of
relevant improved technologies.
The shift towards an income maximization
orientation permits a degree of commercialization
in the farm enterprise through the marketing of
products the proceeds of which, together with
funds obtained through institutional credit programs,
can be used to purchase modern inputs,
extra labor, equipment, etc., required for the
adoption of the improved technologies. Thus the
potential for developing improved technologies
which bring about substantial increases in productivity
are much greater than under the more
restrictive conditions surrounding a food selfsufficiency
orientation.
35 . For a brief review of the reasons given in the
literature see Norman et al. (1981). We would
suggest that many of the reasons can be related to
the rationale presented in this paper.
36 , For example, from the perspective of the loaning
agency, overhead costs are reduced through dealing
with one member of the family.
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