Access to profitable and sustainable markets is a prerequisite for
guaranteed food and nutrition security, economic growth and poverty
reduction among smallholder farmers in Southern Africa1. Approximately
33 million smallholder farmers account for over 70 percent of the food
produced in Africa. Despite their significant contribution to food and
nutrition security and the region’s economic stability, smallholder farmers
continue to make up the majority of people living in poverty 2.
Apart from exposure to climate change induced shocks such as erratic
rainfall, floods, droughts, pests and diseases, smallholder farmers lack
access to sustainable and more profitable markets for their agricultural
commodities3. Where formal markets exist, poor infrastructure,
inappropriate policies and gender barriers limit the full participation of
smallholder farmers, especially women and youth, in market related
activities4. Further, the COVID-19 pandemic continues to expose existing
gaps in the agricultural markets and value chains, posing a serious threat
to the sustainability and profitability of smallholder farming5.
A recent study commissioned by the Food, Agriculture and Natural
Resources Policy Analysis Network (FANRPAN) and Oxfam in Southern
Africa (SAF) revealed that 80 percent of women and youths sell their
agricultural produce in local informal markets, because they lack access to
formal, profitable and sustainable national and regional markets.
To bridge the gap between smallholder farmers and markets, Oxfam SAF,
in partnership with FANRPAN and the Southern Africa People’s Solidarity
Network (SAPSN) launched a Markets Campaign aimed at promoting
market access for smallholder farmers, especially for women and the
youth in the region, and in Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia and Zimbabwe
in particular, where the studies were conducted.
The Market Access Campaign launch unveiled an online platform hosted
on FANRPAN’s website, advocating for community-led policy engagements
to address agriculture-related market access challenges. The online
platform seeks to engage all key stakeholders to increase knowledge and
access to global, regional and national markets by smallholder farmers.