Why African rural development strategies must depend on small farms

Improving the productivity of smallholder farms in Sub-Saharan Africa offers the best chance to reduce poverty among this generation of rural poor by building on the few resources farming households already own. It is also the best and shortest path to meet rising food needs. Using examples from farmers' maize and rice fields, comparisons with Asia, and an extensive literature review, we explain why the set of technologies promoted to date have produced localized successes rather than transformational change. We also examine the limitations of alternative policies that are not centered on small farms. We give indicative examples of how resource-management technologies can supplement seed-fertilizer technologies to speed an African Green Revolution.