ABSTRACT
To begin with, as elaborated in the next section, there are supply side constraints in the ability of small farmers to raise production. The issue of gender is linkedwith these constraints given the growing feminization of agriculture and the specific problems that women farmers face. Moreover, nations seeking self-sufficiency have to cater to the needs of all their citizens, including those who are working in the non-farm sector (rural or urban) or as landless agricultural labourers. This means that food producers need to go beyond self-sufficiency to producing a surplus. As elaborated in Section 4, however, those who are currently in farming, if given a choice, may choose not to grow food crops at all. But consider first the constraints to increasing production and the interconnected issue of gender.
