Deep Roots

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the country level, both in developing and developed coun-

tries, family farming is the predominant form of agriculture in

the food production sector. Within this framework, the devel-

opment of viable modalities of family farming is essential for

the achievement of sustainable development in agricultural,

forestry and fishery production systems.

More than 99.9 per cent of COFAG members who are small-

holders qualify as family farmers. In Ghana family farming

makes contributions to the socioeconomic development of

communities in the way of personal, household, community

and national food and nutrition security, jobs/livelihoods,

unpaid and uncompensated environmental services such as

carbon credit, and raw materials. However, at the moment

there are no policies in place in Ghana to support family

farmers or the family farming model.

COFAG would like to see some of the following mech-

anisms of support and policies in place to reinforce the

family farming model: diversification of livelihoods and

income sources; accumulation of assets; appropriate mix of

flexible and diversified financing mechanisms and instru-

ments; special and social protection measures; strengthening

knowledge, skills and capacity; flexible financing instru-

ments; social protection; capacity building to manage and

prevent risks and disasters; sustainable agricultural intensi-

fication; consideration of ecosystems in food and nutrition

security; the avoidance of food waste and losses as a result

of irresponsible consumption and post-harvest losses; impli-

cations for the post-2015 Millennium Development Goals

and Sustainable Development Goals; accessibility, resources,

information, technology, capital, assets, relative power;

smallholder family farms and cooperatives at the centre of

efforts and investments related to food and nutrition secu-

rity; more secure access to land and water; access to financial

services to pay for seed, tools and fertilizer; access to better

markets as incentives to invest in improving production,

with less risks; improved infrastructure and transportation;

access to technology for up-to-date and reliable market

information; stronger organizations and cooperatives;

deliberate targeting of special measures for gender, ethnic

and age-related access to power, opportunities, capacity

and resources; local accessibility of resources and markets;

small farms as professional rural enterprises; economies of

scale, bargaining power and higher prices; vertical links into

upper levels of the input-supply-production-processing-

wholesaling chain; prioritization of developing countries

and sub-Saharan Africa by taking action now.

In Ethiopia, according to Daniel Gad, Ethiopian

Horticulture Cooperative (EHC) board chairman: “The

family unit members are actively involved in farming activi-

ties. Contribution of family members is compensated via seed,

grain for food, food items, and/or cash. [There is] shared labor

for agricultural outputs by members of a group defined as

family by local tradition and legal entities.”

In Ethiopia family farms make up the majority of small-

holder farmers. Most reports estimate this to be up to 60

million farmers. Family farms contribute as much as 60 per

cent of the national crop output. EHC is a cooperative made

up of small to medium-sized commercial farmers who may

have groups of smallholder/family farmers making up part of

their out-grower schemes.

Family farmer Hannah Smith-Brubaker tending to her chard at Village Acres Farm in Mifflintown, Pennsylvania, USA

Image: Debra Brubaker, Village Acres Farm, USA

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