We work with Small Farmers

"I never used to be able to afford enough fertiliser for my land. I couldn't produce enough food to last all year and my family suffered many hungry months." Mable Chango, Malawi.

Read how we supported Mable Chango to change this situation.

The people we work with depend on agriculture to feed their families and earn an income. However they often don't have the tools, seeds and land they need to grow decent crops. There are also fewer natural resources then there used to be and the rains aren't coming when they used to, if they come at all.

Sustaining poor farmers

Our experience of working with poor farmers has shown us that 'quick fixes' are unlikely to offer some of the world's poorest people the opportunity to attain lasting food and livelihood security.

We believe that the sustainable farming techniques we promote are appropriate because they are low cost, easy to adopt and provide harvests all year round.

Visit our resources page to read our position papers on sustainable agriculture.

Farmers as citizens

We are also supporting farmers to demand better access to the tools, seed and land they need to grow better crops. In Malawi for example we are:

• Working with farmers’ organisations to develop their confidence and to raise awareness about their rights. This is enabling them to monitor the implementation of key government policies by local government structures.

• Supporting a Federation of Smallholder Farmers to bring together some of the poorest farmers in Malawi. As a result they are developing a collective voice and are bringing issues affecting farmers to national attention.

• Working closely with Malawi’s Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security to offer a more effective and appropriate support service to farmers.

Do you want to do your bit to combat hunger and malnutrition? Donate now.

Read more about who we work with.