The Role of Smallholder Farms in a Changing World

Despite progress, multiple burdens of malnutrition persist worldwide: 795 million people are hungry more than 2 billion people suffer from micronutrient deficiencies and over 2 billion are overweight or obese. At the same time, various challenges continue to threaten global food security and nutrition. Smallholder farmers are a key to ending hunger and undernutrition worldwide, but they are increasingly facing barriers to profitability. Yet smallholders should not all receive the same kind of support; they are not a homogenous group. While some smallholders should be supported to move up to commercially oriented and profitable farming systems, some should be supported to move out to seek non-farm employment opportunities. Strategies to promote smallholder agriculture as a business can help to overcome these obstacles and move smallholders with profit potential towards greater prosperity, while also contributing to the achievement of multiple Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).