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Agriculture

We’re improving agriculture for small farmers, many of whom are women, so they can adjust to climate change and have a better quality of life.

More of the world’s people rely on agriculture for their survival than any other occupation.  But three quarters of the world’s poorest people are farmers, confirming that agriculture simply isn’t working for the vast majority of them.

We help people build farming systems that connect nature (climate, land, water, plants and animals) with people (culture, economics and society).

Agroecology can enable smallholder farmers to achieve a decent standard of living, whilst protecting the environment and building natural resources. This offers a sustainable alternative to intensive agriculture, with the potential to transform the lives of millions of families.

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For people

Viable livelihoods for small​ holder farmers, especially ​women and young people

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For planet

Effective planet friendly ​farming for the new ​climate reality​

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For big change

Markets and policies that ​work for farmers and the ​environment​

Our agriculture 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

We refuse to accept the only future for food production is an agricultural system that destroys the planet and keeps farmers trapped in poverty.

What makes us different

  • We have over 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. ​​

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.