Tuesday May 29, 2012 PALM TALKS By TAN SRI Dr YUSOF BASIRON The
enduring importance of small farmers across the globe. WHILE
advanced and emerging economies are noteworthy for their myriad
differences, it is often instructive to highlight ways in which
the wealthy North and the developing South are actually quite
alike. For example, the small family farmer rightly has pride of
place in both the developed and developing worlds. He is a
crucial engine of growth, dignity and prosperity. Small farmers
have played an important role in every nation’s economic and
social development. They constitute the vital and indispensible
core of every agricultural system, from Malaysia and other
emerging markets in South-East Asia to Europe and North America.
The history of economic progress shows that even as agricultural
production gets more sophisticated and more technologically
advanced, small farmers remain crucial stakeholders and
participants in food production and job creation. Consider
Malaysian small farmers today. M