On this World Population Day, we take a moment to reflect on how we can support the communities that are responsible for nourishing the rest of the world.
Small-scale farmers are key players in our global food systems, producing over a third of the world’s food.
Paradoxically, many of the 660 million people predicted to still face hunger in 2030 are farmers.
Small producers around the world often find themselves deprived of basic sustenance and struggling to meet basic needs. This lack of food security creates vicious cycles of poverty.
Why is it that farmers feeding the world are struggling to feed themselves and their own families?
There are a variety of interconnected factors that lead to food insecurity in rural communities.
In addition to remote locations, lack of infrastructure for transportation and storage, and difficulties competing with large-scale enterprises, some of the challenges these food-producing communities face include:
ASCAMPA (Associação Comunitária Agrícola do Rio Urupadi), NESsT Amazonia Portfolio company
Limited agricultural resources, such as modern technologies, quality seeds, environmentally-friendly fertilizers, and irrigation systems. This makes it near to impossible for farmers to boost farm productivity and produce more food beyond what is sold.
Long value chains and lack of market access means smallholder farmers rely on intermediaries, have little power when negotiating fair prices, and struggle to reach new markets.
Climate change and its impact, including unpredictable weather patterns, droughts, and flooding, has a negative effect on crops and natural resources, leading to food production losses.
Wars, pandemics and natural disasters, as we have seen in recent years, disrupt food supply chains, force people out of employment, and uproot local communities. More often than not, these crises exacerbate the cycle of poverty.
In this context, local small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have emerged as beacons of hope.
How are SMEs fighting food insecurity in rural communities?
In these rural communities, local bioeconomy companies are pioneering a new era of sustainable agriculture.
SMEs within these communities either hire, or source from, or both, small-scale farmers, providing them with dignified incomes.
Associação dos Agropecuários de Beruri (ASSOAB), NESsT Amazonia Portfolio company
What’s more, they support small-holder farmers to:
Grow heirloom and other non-commercial food varieties
Adopt regenerative and organic farming practices
Minimize environmentally harmful practices
Through these actions, small-scale farmers can play a crucial role in creating and maintaining sustainable food systems and bolstering biodiversity.
The transformative power of SMEs in rural food-producing communities
Associação dos Trabalhadores Agroextrativistas da Ilha das Cinzas (ATAIC), NESsT Amazonia Portfolio enterprise
One example is NESsT Amazonia enterprise Associação dos Trabalhadores Agroextrativistas da Ilha das Cinzas (ATAIC). This association is dedicated to generating income opportunities for local families on Ilha das Cinzas, a remote island situated on the mouth of the Amazon River, in Pará, Brazil with limited access to resources.
Led by residents of the island, the association supports 280 collecting families to source Amazon oil seeds and fruits – which are collected without cutting down a single tree – paying fair prices for their products.
What’s more, ATAIC offers members production training, sustainability education, and business guidance.
Through its work on the island, ATAIC has:
increased the availability of essential resources for inhabitants
strengthened value chains from shrimp to Açai
implemented an eco-sanitation model
supported women into leadership roles
ATAIC's activities increase the income of suppliers living on the island while preserving the environment and the means of production for other food species, thus contributing to and enhancing food security.
NESsT Amazonia works to strengthen local bioeconomy SMEs in the Amazon basin with business assistance and financial resources. Thriving SMEs drive demand for locally produced goods and services, generating employment opportunities that can transform underdeveloped areas into vibrant economies. The investment in local small-scale farmers allows the farmers to continue producing food that feeds their families and the world.
Local bioeconomy SMEs are the driving force behind transformative change, providing resources and opportunities to the communities that feed the world!