Food security is only achievable and sustainable if the production of food is profitable. In practical terms it means that food security is driven and created by profits and profits alone – there is no other way.
The prices that farmers pay for their production inputs against that the prices that they received for their products (input/output price ratio} is and will remain one of the two main driving forces behind the successful commercial production of agricultural products.
It is therefore a pity that almost all the major international donors who pump billions of dollars into Africa, believe that small-scale subsistence farmers can be developed as fully fledged commercial farmers by only increasing their efficiency (“productivity”) of production to achieve sustainable food security. While increasing the efficiency of production through new technological developments is the second main driver that can improve the profitability and sustainability of food production, it is not as important as the above mentioned input/output price ratio.
Efficiency plays an important role during times when the prices of inputs are rising at a faster rate than the prices of agricultural products and it is in fact the only way a deteriorating input/output price ratio can be financially survived. It means that new technology must support and enable agricultural producers to either produce more products with the same level of inputs or produce the same quantity of products with less improved and high quality inputs.
A problem, however, with increased efficiency can be caused by farmers who produce themselves out of the market, as it happened in the maize industry in South Africa, because the result is surpluses. Then it has a very negative effect on the prices that farmers receive for their products which means that the production area planted to that crop must be scaled down.
By ignoring the major thrust of the input/output price ratio is the main reason why small subsistence farmers will not develop as fully fledged commercial farmers and it is undoubtedly also the most important reason why Africa will never be in a position to produce enough food for himself.
The correct application of these two drivers in combination is known as the “optimum level of production” which is the most important principle that determines the highest profitability and sustainability of commercial agricultural production as it also incorporates all the other agricultural disciplines.