Comparing Contracts: An Evaluation of Contract Farming Schemes in Africa

The sufferings of so many small farmers in Africa who produce on contract have been well recorded and analyzed, yet it seems that such production will continue to expand. Can governments and nongovernment organizations (NGOs) take any action to reduce the suffering? We examine our own experience of contract farming in Nigeria and South Africa in the context of earlier research, and draw attention to important issues which have received little attention in the literature, notably staffing of schemes, farmers' previous experience with multinational national companies (MNCs), water control and labor issues. We make recommendations toward codes of practice which could be issued to companies, regulators and small farmers.