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Smallholder Crop Commercialization and Food and Nutrition Security: A Review

Adane Melak Beyene

The objectives of this review article were to look over the concepts and characteristics of commercialization and identify its drivers and influences on the food and nutrition security status of crop producers. A critical review method was used to address the aforementioned objectives. Books and research articles were sources of secondary data. As a result, while different authors define agricultural commercialization differently, the most acceptable and comprehensive definition is one that defines agricultural commercialization as the processes of agricultural transformation in which
product selection and input-use decisions are based on market demand and profit maximization principles. Furthermore, population growth and demographic change, technologies, institutions, risks, transaction costs, asset holding, markets, food habits, and policy are identified as internal and external drivers that influence the performance of commercialization. Agricultural commercialization influences producers’ food and nutrition security due to its role as a source of food, income, women’s empowerment, employment, and energy. Moreover, this article revealed that the influence of crop commercialization is still mixed and inconclusive; as it has shown both positive and negative effects on smallholder crop producers’ well-being. Therefore, in any agricultural development intervention project, there should be a critical scan of the environment to identify agricultural nutrition pathways that could significantly and positively contribute to the nutritional well-being of smallholder crop producers.