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The Global Forum on Agricultural Research and Innovation (GFAR), the Global Open Data for Agriculture and Nutrition initiative (GODAN), the Technical Center for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA) and the Kuratorium für Technik und Bauwesen in der Landwirtschaft (KTBL) organised an e-consultation on ethical, legal and policy aspects of open data affecting smallholder farmers.  Forum dates: 4 till 8 June 2018. The objectives of this e-consultation are to: Clearly identify the ethical, legal and policy gaps that currently prevent data from benefiting smallholder farmers. Using practical examples, give a clear picture of what the desired scenarios would be by 2030 for a policy, legal [...]

FAO’s previous contribution to the development of contract farming saw the publication in 2015 of the UNIDROIT/FAO/IFAD Legal Guide on Contract Farming, which focused on the bilateral relationship between an agricultural producer and a contractor. This Legislative Study develops that research and focuses on the regulatory frameworks for contract farming, aiming to highlight different possible approaches for different contexts. Responsible contract farming can be a powerful tool for small scale farmers in developing countries to move towards larger scale commercial production. It can create economic wealth, contribute to supply chain efficiency through the production of higher quantities of better quality products, and contribute to achieving domestic [...]

HELPING SMALLHOLDER PRODUCERS TO ACCESS MARKETS IN MARGINALIZED AREAS OF KENYA AND SOUTH SUDAN Low agricultural production and low household incomes mean that food security in the northwest of Kenya and the southeastern part of South Sudan continues to be a challenge. With smallholder producers and small and medium-sized entrepreneurs often marginalized and excluded from access to markets at national and regional levels, there was an urgent need to devise innovative approaches to developing and reinforcing efficient business linkages between value chain actors. Project duration: July 2013 –June 2017 Download Project Highlight pdf  

In sub-Saharan Africa, crop diversification features prominently in many countries’ climate change adaptation strategies. This study focuses on the determinants of adoption and on the impact of seven cropping systems in Malawi, Mozambique, and Zambia. The work finds that the selection of a high volatile or low productive cropping system increases smallholders’ vulnerability and exposure to food insecurity. The findings suggest that policies supporting private agricultural input and output market development are critical for inducing adoption of more diverse, resilient, and profitable cropping systems. Finally, the brief shows that while parastatal institutions may encourage the adoption of maize mono-cropping systems [...]

This policy brief is part of the ESA Policy Brief Series. It aims to improve the understanding about the design, implementation and impact of public-private partnerships for agriculture. For this reason, FAO gathered 70 case studies from 15 developing countries along with evidence from field-based support to agri-PPP initiatives in Central America and Southeast Asia. This brief presents the lessons learned for policy makers from this study.  See the complete series here.

Agriculture remains the single most important employer in many developing country, as there are about 200 million unemployed nowadays and many more underemployed. Opportunities arise in agriculture and food systems thanks to a growing middle class, who demands processed, packaged and convenience food and agricultural goods. A significant share of the labor-aged population earns their income and livelihoods by engaging in the sector, why the future lies with the components of the food system and the food value chain that extends beyond primary agricultural production. See the complete series here.

This introduction frames the entire series of guidance notes "Improving food security and nutrition in protracted crises – guidance to implement the CFS-FFA", providing background on protracted crises and the Framework for Action for Food Security and Nutrition in Protracted Crises (CFS-FFA) and also presenting the objectives of the series. Protracted crises are situations in which a significant proportion of the population is acutely vulnerable to death, disease, and disruption of livelihoods o ver a prolonged period of time. Available in French.

Millions of pastoralists worldwide provide food and important environmental benefits, yet they have little say in policies that affect them. In this video, experts and pastoral representatives discuss the importance of pastoralism and the role of the Pastoralist Knowledge Hub in bringing together various stakeholders to advocate sustainable pastoralism. For more information on the Pastoralist Knowledge Hub, please visit http://www.fao.org/pastoralist-knowledge-hub/en/ 

Family farming remains the predominant form of agriculture in Asia and the Pacific. There are more than 570 million farms in the world of which over 500 million are family-owned. They are responsible for at least 56 percent of agricultural production. These smallholder resource-poor farmers are confronted by many challenges – the negative impact of climate change, increased frequency of natural disasters, loss of biodiversity, crude oil price hikes, rapid expansion of bioenergy development, incr easing food price volatility, inefficient supply chains and others. The information needs of farmers will only increase as they have to make more and more [...]

E-agriculture or ICT in agriculture holds great promise in providing access to innovative solutions to many challenges faced by smallholder resource-poor farmers. Access to the right information at the right time makes a great impact on the livelihoods of communities involved in agriculture and allied activities. This publication presents case studies in innovative use of emerging technologies to significantly improve the living standards of farming communities.