Smallholder farming family in a cabbage field in Honduras
Small farms produce almost half of the world’s food needs. © SDC/Fritz R. Staehelin

Smallholders and family farms play a key role in feeding the world's growing population and creating and preserving jobs in rural areas. They can also help to stem migration. In order to stay in business, smallholders need access to stable markets, infrastructure adapted to their needs, and access to education, training and financial and information services. The SDC helps them to adapt to change and to boost production in a sustainable way.

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations  defines smallholders as small-scale farmers, pastoralists, forest keepers and fishers who manage areas of less than 10 hectares. Smallholder farms are characterised by family-focused motives and it is the families who are responsible for everything from production to farm maintenance. Part of what is produced is consumed by the family itself. Smallholder farming is about a third less productive than large-scale farming. Despite this fact – or indeed because of it – Switzerland is convinced that supporting smallholder and family farming contributes to alleviating world hunger and poverty.

The SDC's support for smallholders and family farms in developing countries mainly consists of assisting them to adapt to climate change, to changing available means and methods of production, as well as to new market demands in order to boost and improve their production.

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Current projects

Object 61 – 72 of 161

Gestion des Eaux de Ruissellement dans le Tchad Sahélien (GERTS)

01.12.2018 - 30.11.2022

Ce programme vise l’aménagement des vallées avec des seuils d’épandage en vue de leur exploitation agro-pastorale au bénéfice direct de 350'000 personnes dans quatre régions au centre-est du Tchad. Cette approche est promue et mise à l’échelle avec l’appui d’organisations publiques et privées. Les femmes et les jeunes sont particulièrement encouragés à s’investir en production maraîchère à but commercial et pour améliorer la nutrition. Le programme contribue aussi à la stabilité au centre-est du Tchad, et à la prévention de la migration et de l’extrémisme violent.


Cosecha de Agua (Water Harvesting)

01.11.2018 - 31.12.2022

This project strengthens the food security of 2,500 families and responds to the challenges of climate change and the economic crisis in Nicaragua’s dry corridor. The second phase of the project is intended to systematize and replicate on a larger scale water harvesting and other practices for more efficient use of water resources. In the interest of enhanced implementation efficiency and effectiveness, the participation of the government is reduced and a contribution to a specialized international organization is proposed.


Water Efficiency in Rice and Cotton

01.11.2018 - 31.12.2022

The public-private-partnership project aims at enhancing smallholder farmers’ income and water productivity in cotton and rice production through improved technologies (PUSH), increased demand of sustainable products by the private sector (PULL) and water stewardship plans (POLICY).
SDC supports a consortium with 20 partners coordinated by HELVETAS in the implementation of the PUSH-PULL-POLICY approach in India, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Myanmar and Madagascar.


Plant Variety Protection Legislation and Farmers’ Rights in Developing Countries

01.10.2018 - 31.10.2023

Plant variety protection legislation in accordance with the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV) is gaining importance in developing countries. This kind of legislation often neglects the existing informal seed systems and Farmers’ Rights. SDC supports APBREBES, a network of civil society organizations, to raise awareness and contribute to capacity building on alternative legislation that better reflect smallholders’ needs and practices.


Blue Peace Financing: transboundary, multisectoral and transgenerational investments

01.10.2018 - 30.06.2023

To achieve the Sustainable Development Goals government efforts do not suffice, additional private capital deployed towards sustainable development are needed. Blue Peace advocates for investments to be re-directed to two levels: transboundary entities and to municipalities. This will have a transformative impact. As a door opener, Switzerland through its partnership with UNCDF contributes to the development of innovative financial products that enable transboundary, multisectoral and transgenerational investments leading to sustainable development and peace.


Amélioration de la sécurité alimentaire et nutritionnelle dans la région Boucle du Mouhoun

01.10.2018 - 30.09.2021

Le Burkina Faso fait face à des crises de sécurité alimentaire et de malnutrition récurrentes pour des raisons structurelles et conjoncturelles. Ce projet vise à renforcer la sécurité alimentaire et nutritionnelle (SAN) des personnes vulnérables dans la région Boucle du Mouhoun à travers une approche intégrée et innovatrice. Cet approche combine des interventions en sécurité alimentaire et moyens d’existence, en santé primaire et nutrition communautaire. Le projet s’inscrit dans la nouvelle vision du « programme lait » de la Confédération.


China: Rehabilitation and management strategy for over-pumped aquifers under a changing climate

01.09.2018 - 31.12.2021

In the past 30 years the aquifers in the North China plain have been over-exploited. Based on cutting-edge Sino-Swiss expertise in real-time groundwater monitoring and modelling, the project will implement groundwater and agricultural management policies to stabilize groundwater levels as a buffer to climate change induced droughts. The project will work with farmers and local authorities to facilitate policy uptake. Findings are relevant for many water-stressed countries and will be shared globally.


Improving farm productivity in Georgia through dual vocational education and training

Three people in a greenhouse.

01.09.2018 - 31.08.2022

Agriculture is Georgia's most important sector. However, farming remains uncompetitive as farmers' skills are out of step with the job market and technological developments. Switzerland is continuing to support vocational education and training to improve productivity, farm income and the employment situation for students of agriculture.

Country/region Topic Period Budget
Georgia
Vocational training
Agriculture & food security
Employment & economic development
Vocational training
Agricultural services & market
Rural development

01.09.2018 - 31.08.2022


CHF 7'303'140



Scaling Up Youth Employment in Agriculture Initiative

01.08.2018 - 31.10.2023

Education systems in Southern Africa do not prepare youth for work; they cannot access or create economic opportunities and ignore the available options. The project will scale up in Southern Africa a model already tested by Switzerland in Tanzania. It will improve (self)-employment of 20’000 young women and men in Zimbabwe and Zambia by strengthening their skills and matching them with existing job opportunities, thereby contributing to the implementation of youth policies in-country and regionally.


Remote sensing-based Information and Insurance for Crops in Emerging economies (RIICE) - Phase 3

01.08.2018 - 31.12.2021

Extreme weather events increasingly affect small-scale producers in Asia. Satellites and other information technologies present tremendous potential for improved country-wide monitoring of crop growth and insurance solutions for extreme weather events. With RIICE, SDC supports the integration of expertise from Swiss private actors and international public research centres toward modernizing public agricultural services and crop insurance programmes, offering performant solutions to Governments and producers to cope with production shortfalls.


Integrated Seed Sector Development (ISSD) Africa

01.08.2018 - 31.07.2026

Today, only 12 plant species and five animal species provide more than 75 percent of all human food. Quality seed and maintaining the agrobiodiversity are key concerns for food security and nutrition. Aiming at enhancing access of smallholders to quality seed of their choice, the Integrated Seed Sector Development in Africa programme combines public and private efforts. With its contribution and policy work, SDC supports healthy food systems, as well in fragile contexts.


Integrated Seed Sector Development in Africa (ISSD Africa)

01.08.2018 - 31.08.2022

Smallholders in Africa need to have access to affordable quality seeds. The Integrated Seed Sector Development in Africa project assesses critical factors of the seed sector in the continent and offers innovative solutions that respond to the diversity of needs of African smallholders, bringing together the assets of informal, intermediary and formal seed systems. Through its existing seed sector related engagement, SDC is well placed to support policies at country and African Union levels.

Object 61 – 72 of 161