Abstract
Without a question, it can be concluded that institutions still matter although there is need for restraint to avoid a mindset that institutions are the answer to all the development gaps in developing countries. Nonetheless, the case made for undertaking a comprehensive analysis of the institutional constraints faced by the small farmers in Southern Africa has been justified. The case was made on the grounds that a combination of institutional, climatic and macro-economic constraints seemed to have led to some of the worst food and humanitarian crisis in the region, culminating in drastic food shortages and famines and deepening of poverty levels. It is expected that this will form a basis for recommending alternative approaches to farmer support and other interventions to improve livelihoods and incomes and contribute to poverty alleviation. The collective innovation models that are suited to dealing with the inherent complexities and uncertainties in both the smallholder farming systems of Southern Africa and the policy/development environment are recommended as one way to ensure that increased knowledge about rural conditions as revealed by more robust institutional analysis, translate into practical actions acceptable to all concerned.
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Obi, A. (2011). Livelihoods, institutions and the small farmer. In: Obi, A. (eds) Institutional constraints to small farmer development in Southern Africa. Wageningen Academic Publishers, Wageningen. https://doi.org/10.3920/978-90-8686-704-2_12
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3920/978-90-8686-704-2_12
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