Following the 2007–2008 surge in international land deals, many analysts have portrayed this moment of agrarian history as a manifestation of the re-emergence of large-scale capitalist farming. However, official national-scale figures concerning key cash crops in Malaysia and Indonesia rather show the growing importance of smallholders. Although these figures must be read with caution, they nevertheless point to a contradiction. This incites us to revisit the debate on the relation between large and small farms using two important sectors, rubber and palm oil, two major plantation crops increasingly cultivated by smallholders. Then, with regard to the cultivation of rubber in Malaysia and Indonesia, we provide a historical perspective on the institutional and economic contexts in which smallholders have managed to cultivate a growing share of plantation crops. For comparative purposes, we attend to the more recent expansion of oil palm in the region, and to how it has led to the emergence of an important population of smallholders, despite policies biased in favor of large-scale plantations. For both crops, we are paying particular attention to national agricultural policies and their impact on the development of smallholder plantation crop production, and to how they influence the respective weight of large and small farms.

Globally, agriculture is facing significant challenges due to climate change, which is seriously affecting grain yields. This research aims to analyze the significant effect of climate change (temperature and rainfall) on cereal production in Benin. The choice of Benin is explained by its strong dependence on agriculture and its vulnerability to climatic variations. This study employed climate and agricultural data from FAO and ASECNA (1990–2020) to evaluate the impacts of climate change on cereal production. SARIMA time-series models were used for forecasting, while the PLS-SEM approach assessed the relationships between climate variables and cereal production. The findings reveal a rise in temperatures and a gradual decline in precipitation. Despite these challenges, the time-series analysis suggests that Beninese farmers are expanding cultivated areas, successfully increasing production levels, and improving yields. Projections to 2050 indicate an increase in areas and production for maize and rice, while sorghum shows a constant trend. However, even with these projections, it is recommended to explore, in more depth, the resilience strategies used by cereal producers to better understand their influence and refine the orientations of future agricultural policies.