ABSTRACT
Successful sustainable intensification needs: more use of low external-input, resource-conserving technologies, more use of bought inputs particularly inorganic fertilizer. The liberalization process in some countries is linked to a structural adjustment programme which is partly dictated by outside actors such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank. Liberalization has transformed the economic environment for smallholders in Southern Africa during the last decade. An additional factor which is to have an impact on national markets is the increasing globalization of markets, linked to an array of trade agreements and organizations. There are a number of actions that can be taken to make the liberalized market work better for remote and resource-poor smallholders. With the liberalization of seed markets, commercial companies have increasingly been entering national markets, often in competition with existing parasternal companies. Such markets, an additional opportunity for smallholders, are to bring some benefits. Sustainable interventions to reduce market failure for smallholders need to be encouraged.
