How small-scale producers contribute to food security: Position paper on food security

Article and Image Courtesy : Hivos

Only by looking at long-term, sustainable solutions will it be possible to nourish 9 billion people

Food insecurity threatens almost one billion people, especially in rural areas in developing countries, where four out of five people go hungry every day. Scientists estimate that the world’s population will grow to 9.1 billion by 2050. Since natural resources are already dangerously degraded, fossil fuels are becoming scarce, and climate change has become an impending reality, this poses a serious challenge. To nourish the growing population and meet the challenges of climate change, it is necessary that the unused potential of small-scale producers – who already today provide an impressive 70 percent of the world’s food – is unleashed.

They have the right and capability to be part of the solution. Hivos  calls for a serious reorientation of government, research and civil  society policies towards focusing on small-scale producers, thereby  proposing to drastically increase investment – funds, research, and time  – in their organisation, competitiveness and resilience.

For Hivos, food security has special significance. Our mission is to contribute to a fair, free, and sustainable world, where all people – male and female – have equal opportunities. Hivos supports initiatives and partners working to improve the position of the rural poor while advocating for sustainable use of natural resources. Hivos stimulates market-driven development in agriculture that also triggers broad economic development, with increased employment opportunities and incomes both inside and outside the agricultural sector.

Environmental sustainability and resilience of agricultural production systems remain central to our approach. Hivos sees small-scale, resilient agriculture – which recognizes the limits of natural resources – as critical to solving the global problem of food insecurity and poverty. Only by looking at long-term, sustainable solutions will it be possible to nourish 9 billion people.