Smallholder farmers are among the frontline responders to the world’s environmental and social crises. That is how important they are. When conditions allow them to earn a living, they stay on the land, and they protect it as the foundation for their livelihoods and culture.
Introduction
Smallholder farmers play a crucial role in establishing sustainable food systems locally, fighting hunger and malnutrition in their communities.
of the world’s population depends on food produced by such farmers.
Today’s global food systems must feed 8.1 billion people without compromising future productivity or the health of our planet. Smallholder farmers hold the key to sustainable solutions.
When conditions are equal, smallholder farmers tend to be more productive per hectare than much larger farms. They mainly produce food for people, often growing a wide variety of crops, thus contributing to diversity of produce and thereby protecting the health of the soil and the people living from the land.
Countries and people all over the world live with consequences of a failing global food system, where food is a commodity traded on the globalised market, and ever-growing dependency on this global system is the order of the day. A war or a pandemic can cut off vital supplies to millions of people who can do nothing about it. We are living with these realities in the world today.
Climate change, environmental degradation and loss of biodiversity pose increasing threats to smallholder farmer production, alongside advancement in land concentration and industrialised agribusiness. The responses to the threats have much in common, whether they are related to the health of the planet, ownership of land, or production methods.
Food sovereignty is a precondition for food security. The future of the world depends on sustainable and regenerative food production systems.
Smallholder farmers are numerous and a force to be reckoned with in this regard.
A true shift to localised food systems that produce food for people under local control is needed, giving value to the people that produce the food. Change requires deep understanding and awareness. Knowledge and skills adapted to local conditions must spread among farmers, and ways to work with nature and not against it must be revitalised from former practices and innovated to respond to the challenges of today. Smallholder farmers need support on all levels.
With these conditions in mind, Humana People to People members respond with the concept of Farmers’ Clubs.
“As many as 783 million people are facing chronic hunger. We have a choice: act now to save lives and invest in solutions that secure food security, stability and peace for all, or see people around the world facing rising hunger.”
World Food Programme, 2023
Yanina Yépez Step-Up Farmer, Farmers’ Clubs Naranjal, Humana People to People Ecuador
“We are used to applying chemical fertilizers and pesticides, but through workshops, we have realised why our soils are becoming impoverished and contaminated. I am motivated to contribute to saving the planet with my small actions, which involve treating nature with care and harvesting chemical-free vegetables.”
Belesi Ngwande President of Tiamolende Club, Farmers’ Clubs Sud-Ubangi, Humana People to People Congo
“In our club, we had learnt more about the need to put new cultivation techniques into practice. As of now, I am harvesting more than six bags of groundnuts on a 0.5 ha piece of land. Applying the new knowledge we got increased my yield.”
Sibajene Sichaala Namwala district, Farmers’ Clubs Southern Province, DAPP Zambia
“Working closely with other farmers unlocked opportunities for me. I treat farming as a business. The Saving for Change idea helped me to raise extra income and invest in expanding my farm production. My savings grew from US$200 to US$563.”
Humana People to People’s sustainable agriculture concept, Farmers’ Clubs, places farmers and their families at the centre of activities. Farmers meet, learn and support one another in finding common solutions to the challenges they face. The Farmers’ Clubs develop ethical, sustainable production and regenerative farming practices that farmers can implement together in their communities, in harmony with nature. In this way, they are able to feed and fund their own communities, sustainably.
Farmers are organised in clubs of 50, which are further broken into core groups of ten farmers – led by a Step-Up Farmer. Within each group, farmers access training, strengthen mutual co-operation, solve challenges and develop sound ethical practices in harmony with nature.
Farmers discuss the need to become resilient to climate shocks. They increase the uptake of conservation agriculture methods, get access to irrigation in dry seasons, learn to improve soil so it better withstands droughts and floodings, and they get started with processing their produce.
The methods introduced to farmers include intercropping, crop rotation, mulching, zero tillage and potholing, moisture retention, crop diversification and growing of drought resistant crop varieties, and are based on the co-creation of knowledge, combining science with the traditional, practical and local knowledge of producers. Farmers participating in the Farmers’ Clubs in nine countries in Africa and Central and South America are getting more resilient against climate shocks and stress.
Smallholder farmers are particularly vulnerable to climate change due to their reliance on rain-fed agriculture.
Farmers participating in the Farmers’ Clubs are getting more resilient against climate shocks.
Humana People to People’s sustainable agriculture concept, Farmers’ Clubs, empowers farmers to address challenges through mutual support and collaboration, leading to the development of ethical, sustainable farming practices.
Case Study
Joining Farmers’ Clubs equipped me with knowledge on diversification of farming to avoid hunger. Besides crop farming, I add to my income by baking and selling buns.
Miriam Tavengwa is 62 years old and has three children. She lives in Chivi district in Zimbabwe. Her life depends on the success of rain-fed farming, however climate change has recently exposed her to frequent hunger. Currently, she is one of the Step-Up Farmers under Farmers’ Clubs Chivi.
DAPP Zimbabwe implements Farmers’ Clubs in Chivi, with the goal of supporting food security by facilitating the adoption of climate resilient livelihoods and ecosystems. Over 1,500 smallholder farmers are organised in clubs where they interact, receive improved farming trainings and translate what they learn into practical farming. They learn about conservation agriculture, biodiversity and sustainable environment management. Many farmers are diversifying their income sources, have improved food supplies and nutrition status, and are protecting their environment from degradation.
Case Study
Cyclone Idai floods of 2019 created hardships never seen in the entire history of our community. ADPP gave us a new start, a support we depend on to build back our lives up until today.
António Bengala Casa is a smallholder farmer in Lamego, Nhamatanda district of Sofala Province, Mozambique. He joined ADPP Mozambique’s Farmers’ Clubs Nhamatanda in 2015 and was part of 2,000 smallholder farmers trained in conservation farming.
“In clubs, farmers get united in fighting for the same cause and goals. We stick together to work the land. Everyone brings their own tools and goes out into the fields to be part of producing food, learning as we go,” says António.
Cyclone Idai left a trail of disaster on 15 March 2019 in Sofala province. Lamego was hard-hit. Farmers lost all that they had, including farm investments. ADPP Mozambique supported the farmers to recover and start again stronger.
“ADPP gave us a solar powered irrigation system we use in our club. At Tica and Lamego, ADPP built market stalls and a warehouse for our produce. We are happy the market place is hygienic, and it can’t be destroyed by rain,” says António.
Post-cyclone Idai, ADPP Mozambique reactivated and strengthened sustainable farming trainings, initiated micro-farming enterprises and savings and lending clubs to boost income generation. The experience of sticking together in the clubs accelerated a stronger recovery following the natural disaster.
“After acquiring all the knowledge, even with the closure of the project, we will continue at the same pace and always be united by the same objective.”
Sustainable Agriculture and Environment throughout Humana People to People
Smallholder Farmers
Countries
People reached
Project units
Smallholder farmers hold the key to sustainable solutions
Our Planet, Our People
“Without peace with the planet, there will be no peace among nations.” From a speech at the United Nations General Assembly, made by Gustavo Petro Urrego, President of Colombia.
Humana People to People attended the 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference COP28 in United Arab Emirates where we joined voices to speak on the vital role of rural communities in protecting themselves against effects of climate change and driving adaptation actions.
We presented and showcased our climate change activities in four side events.
‘Catalysing Skills Potential for a Green Economy in Africa and the Global South’,
Humana People to People was the lead organisation with the UN Industrial Development Organization, UN World Tourism Organization, GIZ and WESSA South Africa.
‘High Level Panel on African Union Year of Education, 2024: Catalysing Skills Potential for a Green Economy in Africa’
Led by the African Union Commission. Ruth Makumbe from DAPP Zimbabwe was one of the speakers.
‘Promoting Climate Change Education and Youth Action for Global Sustainable Development’
Held in the China Pavilion, led by CANGO, C-Team and China Sustainability Tribune. Humana People to People presented a climate change education initiative in public schools under the ‘Yunnan Low Carbon Schools Pilot Project’ in Kunming City, Yunnan province, China.
‘Empowering Tomorrow’s Leaders: Nurturing Climate-Resilient Communities with Green Schools and Lifelong Learning’
Led by EcoVISTA Green Planet Initiative and Humana People to People. Evaristo Waya from ADPP Angola presented as a government delegate under the Ministry of Environment of Angola. Ivone Pascual, Head of Department, Ministry of Environment of Angola was a panellist.
We hosted an exhibition booth in the Blue Zone to push for more locally led adaptation actions in the Global South.
The illustration capturing our climate actions in the Global South is presented and explained below.
The Humana People to People approach begins with debating climate change at community level – be it schools, village meetings or public gatherings. The debate raises people’s consciousness on the need to embrace new attitudes and practices and change traditions that are destructive to the planet.
Community-based and people-centred planning, organising and climate actions are formulated by the people as they identify climate challenges that are barriers to development in their communities. Demonstration gardens used by smallholder farmers within our Famers’ Clubs projects serve as learning platforms for climate change adaptation and adoption of sustainable farming techniques.
Communities taking part in Humana People to People climate adaptation projects access information key in forecasting weather changes and planning which crops to grow.
Most-at-risk communities living in exposed geographical settings are supported with access to climate proofing agricultural practices that strengthen diversification of farming and income generation activities.
For example, families are empowered with solar powered irrigation systems to carry out all-year-round horticulture production, fish farming and livestock rearing as is the case in Mozambique, Angola, Namibia, Laos, India, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Our projects integrate concepts of sustainable climate-resilient ecosystems. Families are encouraged to use natural resources which cause minimum harm and contamination. In Ecuador, Brazil, Malawi and Zimbabwe, communities are increasingly using organic and conservation farming methods to grow healthy food, improve soil fertility and retain moisture in the soil.
Communities put in place community-based disaster risk reduction measures. One such measure is the establishment of internal savings and lending schemes which help withstand the effects of disaster and expand sustainable livelihoods. Smallholder farmers in Zambia are covered by micro-insurance to reduce the impact of hunger following poor harvest. In Guinea Bissau, rural farmers are supported to reclaim degraded soil following salt water intrusion, by protecting and re-establishing mangrove forests along the coast.