The report analyzes the changing tripartite constellations between South African black smallholders, the pre- and post-apartheid state, and the country’s large-scale agribusiness and irrigation industry. A recent mode of farming is the ‘joint venture’, in which smallholders hand over land and share in the net profits, while a strategic partner manages the cultivation with own inputs and equipment, and markets the output.

This draft model contract was developed on the basis of the drafts “Proclamation to Provide for Agricultural Production and Marketing Contracts in Ethiopia” later modified and renamed as “Proclamation to Provide for the Establishment of the Central and Regional Contract Farming Coordinating bodies and Regulation of Contract Farming Contract Formulation” as well as international best practices.

This draft model lease contract considers international best practices and recommendations, regarding the design of contract for farmland investments. In particular, the IISD Guide to Negotiating Investment Contract for Farmland and Water, were used as a reference while designing this current draft. Experience gained by BVVG Agriforest Privatization Agency regarding lease contact design is reflected in the draft model contact. 

Date: 13 décembre 2018

Source: Fondation FARM

Contract farming is emerging as an important governance structure in certain agricultural value chains. This study was done with the objectives of understanding the contractual relations between buyers and small-scale growers in the tobacco industry in Malawi and the impact of contract farming on smallholder incomes. Cross-sectional data was collected from 211 contract and 109 non-contract smallholder burley tobacco farmers who sold tobacco in the 2012/13 season. Two analyses were undertaken.

The focus in this paper is on two relatively large maize-based contract farming (CF) schemes with fixed input packages (Masara and Akate) and a number of smaller and more flexible CF schemes in a remote region in Ghana (Upper West). Results show that these schemes led to improved technology adoption and yield increases. In addition, a subset of maize farmers with high yield improvements due to CF participation had high gross margins. However, on average, yields were not high enough to compensate for higher input requirements and cost of capital.

Health-related incentives to reward effort or commitment are commonplace in many professional contracts throughout the world. Typically absent from small-scale agriculture in poor countries, such incentives may help overcome both health issues for remote rural families and supply issues for firms. Using a randomized control design, we investigate the impact of adding a micronutrient-fortified product in contracts between a Senegalese dairy processing factory and its seminomadic milk suppliers.