Input received on question “2.2 Have small farms been more resilient compared to large farms
in your region? What were the main factors that determined their resilience? Please provide examples.”
I am Scott Justice, working for 20 years as an Agri Mechanization Specialist based in Kathmandu (Nepal). I work for CIMMYT here in South Asia, but I am also advising various programs and projects in SE Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, etc.
Yes (small farms have been more resilient compared to large farms).
Agri mechanization, specifically scale appropriate mechanization delivered by an army of entrepreneurs-service providers in S and SE Asia, helps farmers of all sizes:
- to perform timely field operations that are more easily adjusted to changing weather patterns (think tillage and crop establishment but also diesel irrigation pumps/water markets)
- to reduce (dependency on) labor availability
- to lighten the drudgery of farm work
- to allow greater time for off-farm income generation.