Well, in western Kenya anyway: 1. Farmers used to have 100-200 acres apiece. At that point you can feed a family even with very low yields. There were few (if

Well, in western Kenya anyway: 1. Farmers used to have 100-200 acres apiece. At that point you can feed a family even with very low yields. There were few (if any) large-scale farming operations for them to buy from, anyway. 2. Each generation, the farmer would divide the land up amongst his sons. 3. Fast-forward to today, farmers have more like 2 acres, and with traditional farming techniques don't have enough yield to feed their families. 4. They make up the difference with cattle, chickens, beans, odd jobs - or don't make up the difference, as malnutrition and starvation are a constant problem. But if they make enough money, there is a national maize market to buy from, which previously there wasn't. Hence, they're net maize consumers.