In sub-Saharan Africa and parts of Asia, smallholder farmers produce about 80% of the food consumed by the population but they are disproportionately affected by climate change and extreme poverty. Farmers and agricultural leaders say it is time for concrete action to change this.
Speaking at a Devex event ahead of the United Nations Food Systems Pre-Summit which will be held later this month, Ruramiso Mashumba, the national youth chairperson of the Zimbabwe Farmers Union, called for action-based solutions to resolve the challenges faced by these smallholder farmers.
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“For so long we have discussed the challenges that smallholder [farmers] are faced with and we have also discussed some solutions but we haven't really had much action-based solutions,” she said. “So if we can come out of this summit with action-based solutions on how exactly can we begin to bring in smallholder farmers to the table in terms of decision-making.”
Why it matters: Gilbert Houngbo, president of the International Fund for Agricultural Development, said in low-income countries more than 60% of the population remains rural and, globally, roughly 80% of people affected by poverty are living in rural areas.
“So we know that the answer of lifting up people from poverty will come through how we deal with the small-scale producers,” he said.
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What’s next: Houngbo said the upcoming Food Systems pre-summit is an opportunity to create momentum and to ensure that more finance and innovative solutions are made available to small-scale producers.
“The call for action is really coming out of the summit not simply with a series of resolutions or declarations but with a concrete action plan,” he said. “My call is [for] this summit to be an action-oriented summit with a proper follow-up and measurement of its success.”
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About the author
Rumbi Chakamba
Rumbi Chakamba is a Senior Editor at Devex based in Botswana, who has worked with regional and international publications including News Deeply, The Zambezian, Outriders Network, and Global Sisters Report. She holds a bachelor's degree in international relations from the University of South Africa.
