Farming for people
Making it pay
Viable livelihoods for small holder farmers, especially women and young people
Farming for the planet
Making it work
Effective planet friendly farming for the new climate reality
Farming for big change
Making it possible
Markets and policies that work for farmers and the environment
By 2025, our work with partners will have improved food security and incomes for two million people in rural communities and a further one million systems beneficiaries.
Our farming focus
We will continue to build our profile and influence on regenerative agriculture, developing additional large-scale partnerships. We aim to develop our niche in energy for agriculture that supports smallholder communities and sustainable rural revitalisation.
- An approach to farming and food production that values people and the planet
- That offers a sustainable alternative to intensive agriculture
- Providing the potential to transform the lives of millions of farming families struggling to adapt to a changing climate
What makes us different
- We have five decades of experience of working with smallholder farmers who are vulnerable to climate change and have strong expertise in how agriculture can work well for people and planet – agroforestry, integrated water management, increasing soil organic matter, seed systems, regenerative and conservation agriculture
- We have long-standing experience in techniques for analysing and facilitating market systems that work for vulnerable farmers (Participatory Market Systems Development and Market Interest Groups).
- The combination of our deep understanding in these areas gives us the ability to work effectively with others to make the changes that can deliver more sustainable agriculture, better food security and livelihoods for vulnerable farming communities.
Farming that works
Policy and influence
We promote the benefits of agroecological approaches to governments, development agencies and the private sector as an essential part of national strategies for food security, economic development and poverty reduction.
We call for:
- Agriculture and development policies that purposely include smallholder farmers and the marginalised rural poor, especially women smallholder farmers, working towards the SDGs in a way that is inclusive and works for the majority.
- Climate adaptation funding that supports developing countries to innovate truly climate smart agroecological solutions, not business as usual commercial monoculture, with more emphasis on multi-commodity and systems research.
- Research and investment in agroecological approaches as a means of improving both smallholder productivity and resilience through the co-generation of locally relevant and adoptable solutions to productivity and coping with the changing climate.
- Governments, donors, development agencies and the private sector that work through market systems and the private sector to provide a means of achieving scale – in particular to incentivise the adoption of agroecological practices in markets by the private sector.
We refuse to accept the only future for food production is an agricultural system that destroys the planet and keeps farmers trapped in poverty.
Knowledge & Expertise
Learn more from the work we're doing to help smallholder farmers achieve a decent standard of living, whilst protecting the environment and building natural resources. Explore a sample of our reports, policy papers, technical information and publications.
View resourcesFarming projects
Turning the tables on climate ch...
Transforming Rural Economies and...
Super seeds feeding families
Farming partnerships
Our impact is achieved through a unique network of local, national and international partners, government organisations and forward thinking, companies and funders. Our shared goals and combined expertise mean that together we can take on some of the world’s toughest challenges.
Find out more
Knowledge Centre
Reports, case studies, policy briefs and more, all free to download and share.
Browse our resources