Impact Of Agricultural Market Reforms On Smallholder Farmers In ...

largest farms. This implies that home production supplies one-quarter of the food for the smallest
farms but close to two-thirds of the food consumed by the largest farms (see Table 4.1.139).
Food expenditure
One measure of the importance of a food item is the average value of spending on the item.
The results of the IFPRI-LARES Small Farmer Survey indicate that, in terms of value, maize is the
most important food, accounting for 19 percent of the food budget of the average farm household.
Maize is followed by fish and meat, each representing 7 percent of the food budget. It is interesting
to note that the second and third largest items in the food budget are not basic staple foods. Yams,
cassava, and sorghum/millet each represent 6-7 percent of the food budget, while rice,
beans/cowpeas, tomatoes, cooking oil, and meals outside the home account for 4-5 percent (see
Table 4.1.140).
Another measure of the importance of a food item is the proportion of households that consume it.
The most widely consumed food items are maize (consumed by 97 percent of the households),
condiments (97 percent), onions (96 percent), cooking oil (96 percent), fish (91 percent), tomatoes
(91 percent), and beans/cowpeas (90 percent). Other foods consumed by at least two-thirds of the
households include meat, rice, manioc flour, sugar, and yams. Less widely consumed are dairy and
sorghum/millet, each of which is consumed by just 30-40 percent of farm households (see Table
4.1.140).
Food expenditure by source As mentioned above, food expenditure includes both cash
purchases and home production (the value of food grown by the household for its own use). The
proportion of food expenditure that is produced at home varies widely across commodities. Home
production represents over three-quarters of the household supply of sorghum/millet, yams,
cassava, and maize. On the other hand, home production accounts for less than one quarter of the
supply of sugar, condiments, rice, fish, and onions. Cassava root is almost always obtained from
home production, while cassava flour is usually purchased. Overall, home production accounts for
half the value of food consumption, while the other half is purchased (see Table 4.1.141).
What proportion of household produce their own food and what proportion get it from the market?
Almost all households produce some of their own food and purchase some food, but the
percentages vary depending on the item. In the case of maize, 88 percent produce for their own
consumption and 40 percent buy at least some maize over the course of the year. This implies that
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