Achieving Sustainable Development Goals in the global food sector: A systematic literature review to examine small farmers engagement in contract farming

Abstract

Contract farming, a common strategy among multinational companies in the global food sector, can help achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). However, it largely depends on whether or not small farmers can participate in contract farming programs, which has been a major issue globally. Our main objective in this systematic literature review is to identify the factors that drive small farmer participation in contract farming. We analyze 97 peer‐reviewed journal articles published between 1977 and 2017. Our review finds that farmer demographic characteristics, farm structure, farmer characteristics, and farmer attitudes influence participation in contract farming although causal mechanisms remain ambiguous. We therefore suggest the need for more comprehensive methodologies to examine small farmer participation in contract farming. In the meantime, global food sector companies must consider these factors as they develop plans toward achieving SDGs.

Predicting the impacts of land management for sustainable development on depression risk in a Ugandan case study

“…Like protected areas, agriculture is a globally prevalent land use, covering 37% of the world's land surface 33 . Contract farming has been promoted as a tool for sustainable development, offering the potential to increase food production, agricultural incomes, and employment while limiting nature loss 34 .…”

“…For instance, the expansion of contract farming had complex and differentiated social impacts in parts of Ghana, Kenya and Zambia, but resulted in the consolidation of land by elites in several cases 37 . As such, the ability of contract farming to promote equitable sustainable development partly depends on how inclusive it is 34 .…”

“…Contract farming has been promoted as a tool for more inclusive agricultural development, including within Uganda 34,78 . However, our study corroborates other research suggesting contract farming can increase inequality and worsen outcomes in some cases 36,37 .…”

Characterization of Sustainability Leaders and Laggards in the Global Food Industry

“…First, we identified five sustainability performance criteria-engagement with multi-stakeholder groups (MSGs), measurement of sustainability outcomes, resource commitment by top management, integration of sustainability programs with traditional management systems, and a robust process for the identification of specific sustainability issues or SDGs. Then, we found that leaders and laggards are markedly different in their approaches to pursue these performance criteria.Sustainability 2019, 11, 5072 2 of 14 and fertilizers [16,17], genetically modified crops [18], water usage and recycling [19], questionable marketing practices [20,21], monopolistic practices [22,23], poor corporate governance [13,24], bad working conditions [25], land use change [26], and small farm exclusion [27].Such wide-ranging and profound sustainability issues have made food industry a center of scholarly attention, and several studies have analyzed how individual firms in this industry engage with sustainability issues. These studies provide rich insights into firms sustainability strategies [28], their approaches to assess sustainability impacts [29], and the tools they use to communicate their sustainability actions to stakeholders [30].…”

“…Sustainability 2019, 11, 5072 2 of 14 and fertilizers [16,17], genetically modified crops [18], water usage and recycling [19], questionable marketing practices [20,21], monopolistic practices [22,23], poor corporate governance [13,24], bad working conditions [25], land use change [26], and small farm exclusion [27].…”