Powering Up Smallholder Farmers: How Disadvantaged Farmers are Driving a Revolution

Seventy percent of the world’s food is produced by 500 million smallholder farmers, yet they comprise half of the world’s hungriest people. Many are trapped in a cycle of poverty exacerbated by decades of price volatility, inaccessibility to finance, increasing input costs and the effects of climate change.

But when able to sell their products on fairer terms and access the means to build their businesses sustainably, smallholders can and will transform their communities. Smallholder organizations themselves can be the key agents for food security, rural economic development and trade relations that lift communities out of poverty.

In this workshop, the fair trade and sustainable forestry movements will share examples of smallholders building thriving businesses, improving environmental stewardship and creating inspiring, community-wide changes. They argue that by addressing the power imbalances that hold smallholders back, farmers can and will drive down hunger and build prosperity for millions of people around the globe.

Panelists:

Campos, Silvias
Global Product Manager Bananas, Fairtrade International, Bonn, Germany

Freund, Kyle
Communications Liaison Manager, Fairtrade International, Bonn, Germany

Gough, Angeline
Smallholder Support Manager, Forest Stewardship Council, Bonn, Germany

Kruse, Klaus
CEO, Ethiquable, Berlin, Germany

Schüller, Martin
Development Policies Officer, TransFair e.V., Cologne, Germany

Complete workshop on soundcloud:

WS55 - Powering Up smallholder Farmers