To ask the Secretary of State for International Development

(1) what assistance his Department plans to provide to smallholder farms in Africa in each of the next four financial years;

(2) what assistance his Department plans to provide through (a) microfinance and (b) vouchers to smallholder farms in Africa during the comprehensive spending review period.

The Government recognise the important contribution that smallholder farmers, many of whom are women, can make to reducing food insecurity and poverty in Africa.

We are currently finalising our detailed plans for the next four years for each country programme including the different sectors they will support. These Country Operational Plans will be published later this spring and will detail spending in each sector including where we will be providing support for smallholder farming, microfinance and vouchers over the next four years.