The towering presence of supermarkets and food retail outlets in almost every major street and district seem to conjure an image of a vibrant agriculture, an encouraging sign of the bright prospects facing this important segment of the economy. It conceals the desperation that pervades in some rural villages.

This paper outlines why majority of the smallholder farmers in the country are being left out of the game and builds the case on why business sector should invest responsibly on smallholder agriculture. This paper also discusses the public policy environment that hinders the growth of private sector – small producers’ partnerships and what choices the government must make to nurture these partnerships.