dysfunctional, and to ensure these groups can
work in pro-poor ways.
The key is to allow farmers to take the lead in
forming such groups. They should be able to
get involved in the groups that best serve their
needs, and must feel free to define the specific
activities they wish to cooperate in. All of this
is meant to happen as a matter of policy, but
in practice farmers don’t have this sort of
freedom of choice.
Farmers should take the lead in their group
operations and activities, as well as in linking
themselves with external players. Group
support from government departments is
crucial. But officials should not overly interfere
with the activities of these groups: some
autonomy is necessary. Our research showed
that there is too much interference from
extension officers, facilitators who provide
technical and information support to farmers.
The farmers should also be encouraged to
work out how they want the groups to run. Do
they want to farm together? Or is the focus
merely on buying inputs such as fertilisers
or marketing output together, while farming
individually? There are many ways that such
groups can be structured to offer smallholder
farmers the maximum benefit.
Acknowledgement
Sikhulumile Sinyolo, Research Specialist in
the Economic Performance and Development,
Human Sciences Research Council: Why it’s
beneficial to organise smallholder farmers
into groups, June 19, 2018. Originally
published in
. https://theconversation.com/why-its-
beneficial-to-organise-smallholder-farmers-
into-groups- Republished under
AgriKultuur |AgriCulture
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