The right to food is enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It is the third most basic human need after air and water. And yet, 757 million people still experience hunger.
Small-scale farms grow over a third of the world’s food. What’s more, they produce more diverse foods than larger farms. With the right support, they can feed their communities without relying on oftentimes expensive and unpredictable imported inputs and international markets.
Small-scale farmers know what inputs work best on their land. Elsie collects seeds from nutritious plants that flourish in her garden in the Solomon Islands and brings them to the community germplasm centre set up by PIRAS. Now, farmers no longer need to rely on expensive imported seeds. Instead, they have a genetically diverse store of local wealth that will reap dividends for generations.
Boiman, an Indonesian cocoa farmer, mixes organic matter with Trichoderma fungus. In a month’s time, this concoction, developed with support from READSI, will turn into rich organic fertilizer. His trees and rice paddy are lush and more productive. And importantly, he’s no longer vulnerable to fluctuating international fertilizer prices: his home-made fertilizer is better for his crops, better for the soil – and great for his wallet.
Individual farmers often lack the resources to move their produce up the value chain. But by coming together in farmers’ organizations, they’re more than the sum of their parts.
In Brazil, Neneide runs Cooperxique, a farming cooperative that promotes ethical, eco-friendly agriculture, particularly in small towns. Through FO4LA, it has invested in equipment to process and preserve fruit, so members can add value to their produce and earn more.
Meanwhile in Peru, members of the Allima Cooperative developed new products using indigenous foods, accessed equipment, received training and marketed their chocolate online with support from RPSF.
What people grow and eat matters not only to their health but also to their identities.
For Indigenous Peoples, traditional foods have both cultural and spiritual significance. In Tanzania, Shakwa has installed redesigned beehives provided by LDFS. They’ve enabled him to continue the traditional Hadzabe practice of beekeeping despite climate change.
For rural people with a food intolerance, it can be difficult to find affordable alternatives. This was the case for Asmaa, so she started making her own gluten-free products with an innovation grant from REGEP. Now, she takes online orders from across Jordan for 18 healthy products.
Carolyn and Bella, a mother-and-daughter team in Nigeria, sell breads, garri and snacks made with orange-fleshed sweet potatoes. They're tasty and rich in vitamin A. Given that every second child in Sub-Saharan Africa is deficient in this vital vitamin, these snacks could make a big difference.
For small-scale farms to produce enough food, they need access to inputs and services. Agri-businesses run by rural people can provide these, closing the production loop and keeping things local.
Beatrice runs a one-stop-shop for local farmers in Yatta, Kenya. She accepts e-vouchers provided to farmers who take out crop insurance through KCEP-CRAL, and supplies them with inputs, from pesticides to sealed bags to safely store their grain.
In Nigeria, Lovely buys the quality rice grown by local women’s farming collectives who have received training and equipment from VCDP. They are guaranteed a good price, while Lovely’s parboiled rice processing facility, established with equipment from VCDP, can always depend on getting the right quantity and quality of rice.
*
Small-scale farms help ensure not only that everyone can fulfil their right to food, but also that what they eat is safe, diverse and nutritious.
