Support for small-scale farming

Following a century of increases, crop yields are flat-lining – because intensive farming can only go so far. So it's time to focus on the huge untapped potential of small-scale farmers in developing countries – and especially women, who often do most of the work, for little reward.

As things stand, yield growth is falling, because soils can only produce a certain amount of crops – no matter how much fertilizer you spray on them. And all that fertilizer also has a massive carbon footprint – because of the energy needed to create it and because of all the nitrates it pumps out.

But at the same time, 500,000 small-scale farms around the world are helping to put food on the plates of two billion people – or one in three people on earth – while causing far less pain to our planet.

With effective, ambitious government support, and the right investment from companies, productivity can soar.

It's time to grow through small-scale farming.

The way to grow

By supporting small-scale farmers with sustainable techniques – like using organic fertilizers and drip irrigation techniques – we can help produce enough to feed a growing population, without pushing our climate further out of control.

Change is already happening. In Vietnam, for instance, the number of hungry people has halved in 12 years, kick-started by government support for farmers. And in Brazil, millions of people no longer wake up every day to hunger pangs, thanks to ambitious government backing.

But for change on a bigger scale, investment in developing country agriculture needs to grow. (In 1984, agriculture made up 20% of all foreign aid spending. In 2006 it had dropped to 3.7%)

For our world to grow together, we need to change the way the world thinks about farming.

What you can do to help

Join Oxfam's campaign to fix the food system and and GROW justice.