African farm dynamics and the sub-continental food crisis – the case of maize

Summary, in English

This is a longitudinal study of smallholder farm dynamics in eight African countries, drawing on a sample of more than 3000 farm households. It deals with influences on smallholder maize production at three different levels: micro, meso and macro. Although the study points to inadequately exploited production potentials and a production system based primarily on self-provisioning the drivers behind dynamism in this context are clear. Dynamic production patterns are closely associated with smallholder access to modern crop technologies in combination with commercial incentives as expressed both at the meso and macro levels.

• Author: Göran Djurfeldt; Rolf Larsson; Björn Holmquist; Magnus Jirström; Agnes Andersson Djurfeldt
• Department/s: Sociology; Department of Statistics; Department of Human Geography
• Publishing year: 2008
• Language: English
• Pages: 75-91
• Publication/Series: Acta Agriculturae Scandinavica. Section C. Food Economics
• Volume: 5
• Issue: 2
• Links: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/16507540903064243
• Document type: Journal article
• Publisher: Taylor & Francis
• Topic: Human Geography; Probability Theory and Statistics; Sociology (excluding Social Work, Social Psychology and Social Anthropology)
• Keywords: Green Revolution; sub-Saharan Africa; maize; infrastructure; sociology; Agricultural policy; technology; Agricultural development; smallholder; staple crops; human geography; food crisis; statistics
• Status: Published
• ISBN/ISSN/Other: ISSN: 1650-7541