Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in
Book cover

Food Security and Land Use Change under Conditions of Climatic Variability pp 79–106Cite as

The Critical Role of Smallholders in Ensuring Food Security

  • Chapter
  • First Online:

Synopsis

The topic of food security covers aspects at all spatial levels from local to global, and from an interdisciplinary and systemic food systems perspective. We will focus, as our central theme in this chapter, on basic food security being the provision of essential food for survival. We are talking about essential food for a reasonably healthy life. One of the agricultural pathways towards sustainable food and nutrition security is through local production of nutritious food, activity in which smallholders play a crucial role. As food consumers, all rural and urban people in developing countries count heavily on the efficiency of their local smallholders to satisfy their food needs.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.

Chapter
USD   29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD   149.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD   199.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD   199.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Learn about institutional subscriptions

Notes

  1. 1.

    The term “smallholders” is widely understood to include small farmers who do not own or control the land they farm. In some cases they may have a formal use right. See FAO for a discourse on smallholders and their characteristics. http://www.fao.org/docrep/t0211e/T0211E03.htm

  2. 2.

    HCRS Since the mid-1980s under this policy, all livestock and rangeland resources (except the land itself) that originally belonged to the State and were used communally in collectives were distributed to each householder according to family size, at that time. There was a contract between the government and the householder to produce a quota of produce. Surplus, above the quota, would accrue to the householder. It provided incentive to produce, whereas before there was none.

References and Further Readings

  • Asner, G., Elmore, A. J., Olander, L. P., Martin, R. E., & Harris, A. T. (2004). Grazing systems, ecosystem responses, and global change. Annual Review of Environment and Resources, 29, 261–299.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bates, B. C., Z. W. Kundzewicz, S. Wu, & J. P. Palutikof (eds). (2008). Climate change and water. Technical paper. Geneva: IPCC Secretariat.

    Google Scholar 

  • Behnke, R., Fernandez-Gimenez, M. E., Turner, M., & Stammler, F. (2011). Pastoral migration: Mobile systems of livestock husbandry. In E. J. Milner-Gulland, J. Fryxell, & A. R. E. Sinclair (Eds.), Animal migration–A synthesis (pp. 144–171). Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bosc, P., Berdegue, J., Goïta, M., van der Ploeg, J., Sekine, K., & Zhang, L. (2013). Investing in smallholder agriculture for food security. HLPE Rep. 6, High Level Panel of Experts on Food Security Nutrition, Committee World Food Security, Rome.

    Google Scholar 

  • Braun, J. (2009, March 26). Threats to security related to food, agriculture and natural resources: Strategic discussion circle, IFPRI, EADS, Berlin.

    Google Scholar 

  • Campbell, B. M., Vermeulen, S. J., Aggarwal, P. K., Corner-Dolloff, C., Girvetz, E., Loboguerrero, A. M., Cohn, A. S., Newton, P., Gil, J. D. B., Kuhl, L., Samberg, L., Ricciardi, V., Manly, J. R., & Northrop, S. (2017). Smallholder agriculture and climate change. Annual Review of Environment and Resources, 42, 347–375.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cohn, A. S., Newton, P., Gil, J. D. B., Kuhl, L., Samberg, L., Ricciardi, V., Manly, J. R. and Northrop, S. (2017). Smallholder Agriculture and Climate Change. Annual Review of Environment and Resources. 42:347–75

    Google Scholar 

  • Davies, J., & Hatfield, R. (2007). The economics of mobile pastoralism: A global summary. Nomadic Peoples, 11(1), 91–116.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Elham, A. (2019). Gender mainstreaming in water-energy-food security Nexus in arid lands in Egypt. In V. Squires, M. Gaur, & S. Attia-Ismail (Eds.), Drylands: Biodiversity, conservation and management. New York: NOVA Science Publishers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Falvey, L. (2010). Small farmers secure food: Survival Food security, the World’s kitchen and the crucial role of Small farmers. Thaksin University Press, Songkhla, p. 225.

    Google Scholar 

  • FAO. (2002). The State of Food Insecurity in the World. FAO, Rome

    Google Scholar 

  • Graeub, B. E., Chappell, M. J., Wittman, H., Ledermann, S., Kerr, R. B., & Gemmill-Herren, B. (2016). The state of family farms in the world. WorldDev, 87, 1–15.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gulati, A., & Fan, S. (2008). The dragon and the elephant: Learning from agricultural and rural reforms in China and India. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute.

    Google Scholar 

  • Harvey, C. A., Rakotobe, Z. L., Rao, N. S., Dave, R., Razafimahatratra, H., Rabarijohn, R. H., Rajaofara, H., & MacKinnon, J. L. (2014). Extreme vulnerability of smallholder farmers to agricultural risks and climate change in Madagascar. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 369, 20130089. https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2013.0089.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Headey, D., Dereje, M., Taffesse, A. S., (2014). Land constraints and agricultural intensification in Ethiopia: a village-level analysis of high-potential areas. Food Policy 48, 129–141.

    Google Scholar 

  • HLPE. (2012). High level panel of experts on food security nutrition., Rep. 6. Rome: Committe on World Food Security.

    Google Scholar 

  • IFAD. (2001). Annual Report, IFAD, Rome 212 p.

    Google Scholar 

  • Islam, M. S., & Wong, A. T. (2017). Climate change and food in/security: A critical nexus. Environments, 4(2), 1–15.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Krätli, S., Huelsebusch, C., Brooks, S., & Kaufmann, B. (2013). Pastoralism: A critical asset for food security under global climate change. Animal Frontiers, 3(1), 42–50.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lerman, L. V., & Sedick, D. (2011). Policy studies on rural transition 2003–9 in Central Asian agriculture. Rome: FAO.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mallapur, C. (2017). Foodgrain output up 5-fold in 60 years, hides India’s farm distress. https://archive.indiaspend.com/cover-story/foodgrain-output-up-5-fold-in-60-years-hides-indias-farm-distress-99910. Accessed 24 April 2019.

  • MDNKOAL (Ministry of State for Development of Northern Kenya and Other Arid Lands). (2010). Releasing our full potential: Draft sessional paper on national policy for the sustainable development of Northern Kenya and other arid lands. MDNKOAL, Republic of Kenya, Nairobi.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nagayet, O. (2005). Small farms: Current status and key trends. In IFPRI (Ed.), The future of small farms: Proceedings of a research workshop (pp. 355–367). Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nelson, C. (2014). Advancing global food security in the face of a changing climate. Chicago: Chicago Council on Global Affairs.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pedersen, J., & Benjaminsen, T. A. (2008). One leg or two? Food security and pastoralism in the Northern Sahel. Human Ecology, 36, 43–57.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ramirez-Villegas, J., Rosenstock, T., Sebastian, L., Thornton, P. K., & Wollenberg, E. (2016). Reducing risks to food security from climate change. Global Food Security, 11, 34–43.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rass, N. (2006). Policies and strategies to address the vulnerability of pastoralists in sub-Saharan Africa. PPLPI Working Paper No. 37. Pro-Poor Livestock Policy Initiative, FAO, Rome.

    Google Scholar 

  • Samberg, L. H., Gerber, J. S., Ramankutty, N., Herrero, M., & West, P. C. (2016). Subnational distribution of average farm size and smallholder contributions to global food production. Environmental Research Letters, 11, 124010.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sanchez, P. A., & Swaminathan, M. S. (2005). Cutting world hunger in half. Science, 307, 357–359. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1109057.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Squires, V. R. (2018). Land grab in Central Asia, with special reference to China’s foreign land acquisitions and foreign direct investment. Journal of Research in Humanities and Social Sciences, 5(1), 7.

    Google Scholar 

  • Squires, V., & Ariapour, A. (2018). Desertification: Past current and future trends. New York: Nova Science Publishers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Squires, V. R., & Bryden, W. L. (2019). Livestock production, management strategies and challenges. New York: Nova Science Publishers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Squires, V. R., & Gaur, M. K. (2019). Climate variability impacts on land use and livelihoods. New York: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Squires, V. R., Hua, L. M., & Wang, G. Z. (2015). Food security: A multi-faceted and multi-dimensional issue in China. Journal of Food, Agriculture & Environment, 13(2), 24–31.

    Google Scholar 

  • Squires, V. R., Gaur, M. K., & Attia-Ismail, S. (2019). Drylands: Biodiversity, conservation and management. New York: Nova Science Publishers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Steinfeld, H., Gerber, P., Wassenaar, T., Rosales, M., & de Haan, C. (2006). Livestock’s long shadow: Environmental issues and options. Livestock, Environment, and Development. Rome: FAO.

    Google Scholar 

  • Steinfeld, H., Mooney, H., Schneider, F., Neville, L., Opio, C., & Steinfeld, H. (2010). In H. Steinfeld, H. Mooney, F. Schneider, & L. Neville (Eds.), Livestock in a changing landscape: Drivers, consequences, and responses, responses on human nutrition issues. Washington, DC: Island Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sulieman, H., and Young, H. M. (2019). Transforming Pastoralists mobility in West Dafur: Understanding continuity and change. Technical Report, A Feinstein International Center Publication, Tufts University, Somerville, Massachusetts p 58.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tubiello, F. N., & Fischer, G. (2007). Reducing climate change impacts on agriculture: Global and regional effects of mitigation, 2000-2080. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 74, 1030–1056.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wheeler, T., & Braun, J. V. (2013). Climate change impacts on global food security. Science, 341(6145), 508–513.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wiggins, S., & Keats, S. (2013). Smallholder agriculture’s contribution to better nutrition. London: Overseas Development Institute (ODI).

    Google Scholar 

  • Wong, J. T., Lane, J. K., & Alders, R. G. (2019). Family poultry production systems: Roles in society and future challenges. In V. Squires & W. Bryden (Eds.), Livestock production, management strategies and challenges. New York: Nova Science Publishers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Xu, H., Sui, L., Li, Y., & Zhang, D. (2014). The role of water users associations in integrated water resource management of Zhangye City in Heihe River Basin, China. In V. R. Squires, H. M. Milner, & K. A. Daniell (Eds.), River basin management in the twenty-first century: Understanding people and place. Boca Raton: CRC Press.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Formerly University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia

    Victor R. Squires

  2. ICAR-Central Arid Zone Research Institute, Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India

    Mahesh K. Gaur

  3. Qinzhou Development Institute, BeiBu Gulf University, Qinzhou, Guangxi, China

    Haiying Feng

Authors
  1. Victor R. Squires
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Mahesh K. Gaur
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Haiying Feng
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Victor R. Squires .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Formerly University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia

    Victor R. Squires

  2. ICAR-Central Arid Zone Research Institute, Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India

    Mahesh K. Gaur

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2020 Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Squires, V.R., Gaur, M.K., Feng, H. (2020). The Critical Role of Smallholders in Ensuring Food Security. In: Squires, V., Gaur, M. (eds) Food Security and Land Use Change under Conditions of Climatic Variability. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-36762-6_5

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation