Chapter 1


Yet food production is often a path out of poverty for many poor families, indeed often the
only route available. In most low-income developing countries, agriculture is the most
important economic sector. Poverty is predominantly a rural phenomenon and agriculture is
the main source of income and entitlement for rural families. Production processes in.
agriculture are heavily labour intensive, and labour is one asset many rural families have in
abundance (though female-headed rural households often lack even this asset).

Growth in agriculture is often the keystone for overall economic growth in these economies.
Other sectors are so dominated by agriculture that poor agricultural performance drags down
the rest of the economy. At the same time, growth in agriculture often leads to increased
employment opportunities for the rural landless and resource-poor farmers. There are strong
links with the rural non-farm sector. For example, in the 1990s in Malawi, the restrictions on
smallholder production of burley tobacco have been lifted. Although less than 10% of
smallholders currently produce tobacco, the additional income they have earned from this/
has boosted demand for rural services and consumer goods, such as processed food,
agricultural implements etc. and had considerable multiplier effects in the local economy.

The future for many poor rural households has to lie within the agricultural sector, because -- g
the sheer numbers involved make it unlikely that any other sector can absorb them in the
short or medium term.

Increases in agricultural growth often result in increases in food production, because of the'
importance of food production to risk-averse, semi-subsistence farmers. Where this happens,
there is obviously a direct improvement in food security for these households. However,
buoyant growth in the rural sector can indirectly improve food security for all rural dwellers,
and not just farmers, as a result of increased integration into the market system and improved
linkages with the rest of the economy. This should make local food markets more robust and
reliable, and thus increase access to food for net food purchasers, while allowing farmers to
specialise in production at lower risk.

While it is important to acknowledge the role of agriculture in economic growth, and the
need for adequate investment in the agriculture sector, this is not the same as promoting a
food self-sufficiency policy. The next section discusses the debate on food self-sufficiency
versus specialisation in agriculture from a food security perspective.

4.2 Food security and food self-sufficiency as separate objectives?

4.2.1 Food self-sufficiency as a national goal

The concept of food self-sufficiency is generally taken to mean the extent to which a country
can satisfy its food needs from its own domestic production. It is sometimes thought that the
best way to increase a country's food security level is to increase its level of self-sufficiency,
 and this idea has a certain intuitive appeal. It may seem that a country has more control over
 its food supply if it is not dependent on international markets, where food imports may come
 from countries which could be politically hostile. Also, there is a perception that developing
 countries may be exploited on international markets. Self-sufficiency is usually measured by


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