The African Smallholder Farmers Group, a network of international organisations that share a common commitment to working with and learning from smallholder farmers in Africa, has recently developed a framework that sets out the range of “policies, laws, regulations and practices that can support Africa’s smallholder farmers in becoming market ready and help them sustain their market participation”. Given that smallholder farmers comprise the “backbone of economic activity” in Africa, understanding the policies and practices that enable the development of their farms and links to markets can help guide policymakers and practitioners in their work.

Smallholder farmers produce up to 80% of the food consumed around the world and yet they face a myriad of challenges not least limited access to markets, land, financial services, infrastructure and extension. Given their size, smallholder farmers may find it difficult to compete in changing and increasingly global markets, particularly when faced with the…