Report finds farmers need help improving productivity to survive

Farmers in developing economies need help improving productivity to survive, while some will need help finding an alternative income source, according to a new report by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

In a three-pronged blueprint, unveiled yesterday the Agricultural Policies for Poverty Reduction report also suggests helping households in developing countries to diversify their sources of income. The Paris-based global think-tank also proposes facilitating shifting labour from the agricultural sector to better-paid non-farm jobs.

Editor of the report, Jonathan Brooks, said: “Policymakers need to accept that rising opportunities will lead many smallholder farmers to leave the agricultural sector. Governments need to smooth, rather than impede that adjustment.