ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the farm size and productivity question in the context of Swazi agricultural development. It indicates that changes in the existing situation that may unleash the productive potential of the hitherto dormant small-farm subsector, and justifies increased attention on small farms for agricultural production. The chapter argues that the emphasis on small farms harmonizes better with the requirements for environmental protection: less soil erosion, more frugal application of chemical fertilizers, less need of other farm chemicals, and, therefore, less soil, land and water pollution. It discusses the employment-generation implications of the farm-size-productivity argument. The chapter also argues that the promotion of the small farm agrarian structure could increase agricultural productivity, reduce environmental pollution and increase employment. In a country like Swaziland where a large number of cultivated fields are on steep slopes, large tracks of arable land could be lost annually as a result of capital-intensive agriculture.
