Small- and large-scale agriculture

    Activity: Participating in or Organising an EventParticipation in or Organisation of Workshop, Roundtable, Seminar, Course

    Description

    In Tanzania, small and large farms have coexisted for more than 100 years, and during that time small farms have often outperformed the large. Coulson will examine some of the myths or misunderstandings used by proponents of large-scale farming to suggest that small-scale has little potential. He presents theoretical evidence about how small farms can compete with large; historical information that shows how large farms in Tanzania have often found it hard to survive; and summaries of Tanzania’s current policies which show support for the private sector and agribusiness on a scale not seen since before independence, but that these enterprises too are finding it hard to compete. He also reviews the present position. The evidence suggests strongly that many Tanzanians will continue to be small farmers for at least the next 20 years, and that if the marketing system can give small farmers fair prices, they can produce surpluses of many crops. The presentation is about Tanzania, but it is clearly also relevant to debates and discussions in many other African countries South of the Sahara. Speakers Andrew Coulson, School of Government and Society, University of Birmingham, UK Ole Therkildsen, Emeritus Researcher, DIIS
    Period14 Sept 2015
    Event typeSeminar
    OrganiserDanish Institute for International Studies
    SponsorDanish Institute for International Studies
    LocationCopenhagen, DenmarkShow on map