Don't blame the tools #3: Money grows on trees!

This mini-series in my blog is dedicated to looking at how the use of 'water-efficient' and 'water-suitable' or 'regionally-appropriate' crops used can increase food security across Africa. 

Cash crops are popular for farmers, as they can provide a good source of income which allows farmers to purchase other produce and commodities. However, cash crops are widely agreed to be controversial, as they decrease food security and increase dependency on international markets (Maxwell and Fernando, 1989). The wider environmental and economic impacts of moving away from sustenance farming to 'cash crop' farming should not be ignored, especially when looking at the appropriateness of crops across Africa.

Cash crops or sustenance farming? (Source)

Maxwell and Fernando's (1989) review of the literature and existing research at the time is a good stepping stone for understanding the impacts of cash crops. Ultimately, the data on production volume was limited at the time, but amongst a number of other conclusions, there were a significant proportion of lower income countries whereby a good proportion (10%) of their GDP relied on the export of cash crops. Further to the increase in GDP, there are short-term advantages of cash crop-export. These include household stability and national investment, however longer term issues are frequently highlighted through an increased dependency on a single commodity, decreasing competitive advantages, especially against manufactured goods compared to primary produce (grains, etc.) and increasing vulnerability to volatility in the market. In these instances, "high production and consumption linkages" crops are required, especially if they are used in secondary industries. 

The economic advantages are clear. Cash crops are important and promising to poorer households who can see these crops as a means to generate extra income, and potentially generate extra employment. Policies can be included to guide households (Von Braun and Kennedy (1986)), but ultimately food security was found to not be negatively impacted, and instead increased production and availability of food security on household and national levels. However, what is not discussed is whether the increase in food security is stable over time (i.e. not varied throughout the year due seasonal sales of crops) and the quality of the food security. This extends to employment, as although employment is increased, the temporal and spatial distribution of the increase, as well as the remuneration received is limited in research.

There is a strong case for small-scale cash crop farming, which is economically and socially important in providing empowerment of rural farmers and women, as well as aiding countries on a national level. There is need for a middle ground policy which drives sustainability in food production and limit dependence on mono-crops. Von Braun and Kennedy (1986) advocate this view and have provided detailed national level requirements to ensure resource balance, effectiveness of cash crops, and efficient growth while protecting the environment and wider society. Finally the suitability of cash crops to a particular region should detailed. Limited data exists on the water requirements, let alone the environmental impacts and suitability.

I hope to provide a greater understanding of cash crops, their water requirements, and impact upon food security during the next few blogs.