In the past decade or so, farmers around the world have faced a string of crises that show no sign of abating. Most recently, the conflict in the Middle East triggered supply shocks in energy and fertiliser that directly impacted farmers’ ability to grow crops and raise livestock. On the climate front, the onset of a strong El Niño promises to disrupt weather patterns and threaten yields in several regions. The UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has warned that a severe global food crisis could take hold within six months.
Many of us in the global development community are proactively working on strategies to support smallholder farmers – who are among the populations most vulnerable to crises – to strengthen their resilience to shocks and thereby escape repeated cycles of poverty and hunger. But success will require holistic approaches that also put women smallholder farmers at the centre.
