A great deal of effort on behalf of governments and the international community goes into helping small-scale farmers produce good harvests. But productivity, while important, is not everything. Smallholders and kitchen gardeners face many hurdles in transporting, storing, processing, and (if they are fortunate enough to produce a surplus) marketing their crops. These activities, vital to farming livelihoods, are also a source of employment. Over the last decade, the CPHP (funded by the UK Department for International Development) has commissioned research to alleviate some of the obstacles, leading to improvements in food security, health, and incomes in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. Solutions have been identified and tested which add value to crops, strengthen access to transport and credit, reduce drudgery, improve food safety and quality, reduce storage and handling losses, and increase market access.
