Contract farming remains one of the most widely used mechanisms for linking smallholder farmers to buyers and markets. However, questions persist over how such arrangements can be structured to deliver equitable benefits for both producers and buyers. To address these challenges, the Agrifood ...

A joint FAO–Saudi Arabia workshop brought farmers, businesses, and government representatives together to explore how contract farming and quality at source approaches can improve fruit quality, reduce losses and build sustainable value chains.

In Benin, many smallholder farmers remain trapped in informal market relationships that limit their income and growth. Through the PADAAM project, FAO is promoting contract farming to help small-scale producers in the cassava, maize and rice value chains build formal partnerships with buyers and access new commercial opportunities.

Inconsistent supply and variable quality of raw materials hold back agrifood MSMEs from growing their businesses. A new FAO training package showcases how contract farming can address these challenges and equips enterprises with practical tools to build more reliable supply chains and strengthen market linkages for nutritious foods.

Contract farming remains one of the more robust mechanisms for linking smallholder farmers to formal markets and strengthening agrifood value chains. This article draws on emerging experience with digital contract farming platforms to examine how digitalisation can strengthen the implementation of contract farming agreements.

A new initiative is taking shape in Zambia's soybean value chain by laying the groundwork and pl...

Managed by Investments for Sustainable Markets, Agribusiness, and Rural Transformation pillar (i-SMART) of Agrifood Economics and Policy Division (ESA),  the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has officially launched its

The UNIDROIT/FAO/IFAD Legal Guide on Contract Farming (2015), herein the Legal Guide, a joint flagship publication by the International Institute for the Unification of Private Law...

In a strategic move to transform its pineapple sector, Suriname is introducing contract farming through a sustainable value chain development project. The initiative is part of

Contract farming (CF) work at FAO has been led by the Sustainable markets, agribusiness and rural transformation team (SMART) in the Agrifood Economics and Policy Division (ESA) in collaboration with...

Nineteen new publications in English have been added into CFRC’s Library section. These publications cover a diverse array of topics related to contract farming (CF) and include journal articles, book chapters, working papers...

The Technical Cooperation Programme (TCP) project entitled “Building capacities and facilitating enabling environment for contract farming in Lesotho” have successfully concluded. The project aims to increase knowledge and build capacities...

In this recently published news (the news is linked below), Teemu Viinikainen and Carmen Bullón from the Development Law Service (LEGN) at FAO presented an example of good governance in drafting contract...

We have curated a list of ten frequently asked questions (FAQs) in the Background section of our CFRC, where you can also find about what contract farming (CF) is, FAO’s...

In our ongoing effort to provide a comprehensive and user-friendly platform on contract farming (CF), we have made improvements in the site structure and the organization of information and resources...

FAO’s contract farming team comprises core members from the Agrifood Economics Division (ESA) that focuses on agribusiness and economic aspects of contract farming and the Development Law Service (LEGN) on...

FAO’s Technical Cooperation Programme (TCP) project “Building capacities and facilitating enabling environment for contract farming in Lesotho” (TCP/LES/3801) has gained attention from local and regional media and received positive exposure...

Discussions have been held and preparations been made to introduce a contract farming component to the project “Catalyzing the efficiency and sustainability of Azerbaijan’s Hazelnut Sector” (UTF/AZE/016/AZE). The project has...

Contract farming (CF) can be an effective model to coordinate linkages between farmers and buyers, improve smallholders' access to market, productive resources, technologies and capacity development, and enhance their competitiveness...

Lesotho is taking steps towards establishing an enabling regulatory framework for contract farming. As a part of an FAO’s Technical Cooperation Programme (TCP) project "Building capacities and facilitating enabling environment...