Around 500 million smallholder farms support the livelihoods of up to 2.5 billion people and produce more than 80 percent of the food consumed in large parts of the developing world.
While smallholder farmers produce much of the world’s food, they face major challenges in profitable market engagement. Due to their physical, economic, social, and political marginalization, most smallholders pursue low productivity and subsistence-oriented livelihoods that instigate meagre and unhealthy diets. Millions of smallholders are therefore chronically food insecure and vulnerable to shocks.
WFP is providing smallholder farmers with access to technology, finance, information, knowledge and markets to enable them to transition from recipients of food assistance to self-reliance.
Over the years, WFP has strengthened the integration of key activities that seek to improve households’ capacities to better withstand shocks and build sustainable food production. WFP enhances the benefits of each activity through expanding partnerships with the private sector, thereby maximizing opportunties for increased productivity and income. Geographical coordination and proper sequencing and alignment of activities are key to ensuring transformative change.
The integrated approach aims to assist smallholders advance from food insecurity and vulnerability to shocks to increased income and food security.
countries
where WFP will support smallholders from 2018-2021
WFP works with smallholders to rehabilitate degraded agricultural land and supports them to transition out of a state of recurrent vulnerability to shocks, hazards and food insecurity. Asset creation provides smallholders the necessary skills and inputs to protect their farms from natural shocks by reducing erosion, enhancing soil fertility, improving water availability and promoting conservation agriculture techniques.
Building on risk reduction achieved through asset creation activities, WFP introduced risk transfer mechanisms in the form of microinsurance for smallholders. This protects households from resorting to negative coping mechanisms in the event of shocks, through the provision of timely payouts.
hectares
of degraded farmland rehabilitated
farmers provided with microinsurance in six countries at a total sum insured of USD 10.3 million
WFP collaborates with the private sector, local NGOs and other UN agencies to improve the timeliness and availability of agricultural inputs such as seeds, fertilizers and agricultural equipment. Trainings are also carried out in coordination with partners such as FAO to promote good agricultural practices.
Access to energy enables efficient land clearing, irrigation and harvesting techniques. WFP fosters market-based solutions that bring energy products and services to food-insecure communities, including cooking stoves, solar appliances and cold chain equipement.
In addition to protecting smallholders from climate shocks through risk transfer mechanisims, WFP also enhances access to tailored weather and climate information so smallholders can become more efficient in their day-to-day operations.
farmers
in 31 countries strengthened their production capacity with the provision of agricultural inputs and trainings
smallholders
gained access to climate information services to support their day-to-day operations
Individual and group savings enable farmers to build a strong financial base that provides a buffer for short-term needs. This allows households to increase their investment capacity, improve production and diversify their livelihoods. Group savings can be loaned to individual members of the community with particular needs, thereby providing a self-insurance mechanism for the community.
WFP also provides storage equipement and trainings on post-harvest management techniques to help farmers reduce their post-harvest losses. One applied storage mechanism is hermetically sealed containers that stop the movement of air and moisture between the outside atmosphere and stored crops.
farmers
supported to increase storage equipment and capacity
farmers
provided with access to savings groups
farmers
in five countries facilitated with access to loans
As production increases and households are able to produce quality marketable surplus, WFP helps smallholders access farmers’ organizations in order to aggregate production and channel it to formal buyers, including the private sector, government institutions and WFP itself. WFP supports farmers’ organizations on the post-harvest handling and processing. This improves their capacity to store and transport commodities and adds value to their produce by converting a crop into a more valuable commodity for sale in local and regional markets.
On the demand side, WFP seeks to stimulate a stable market for farmers by strengthening its own and other buyers’ pro-smallholder purchasing ability. Internally, WFP seeks to improve corporate procedures for procuring from smallholders, strengthening tracking and payment mechanisms and improving the logistics and the sourcing strategies and plans.
MT
procured from smallholders in 29 countries, for a total value of USD 31 million
farmers’ groups
supported (i.e. 550,000 farmers) with market access initiatives in 31 countries
farmers
virtually linked to 29 traders in Zambia and 533 mt of crops valued at USD 181,000 transferred through the Virtual Farmers’ Market app
kilometres
of feeder roads constructed, rehabilitated or extended to facilitate smallholders’ access to markets
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