Wednesday, 15 October 2014This year’s World Food Day celebrates the family farm and the critical role it plays in supporting food security and sustainable agriculture. Worldwide, however, smallholder farmers are facing increasing challenges to access markets, remain competitive against large-corporate farms and secure greater land rights.BackgroundThe UN General Assembly designated 2014 the ‘International Year of Family Farming’. On October 16th World Food Day will celebrate family farming with the theme, feeding the world, caring for the earth. The contribution family farms make to food and livelihood security is considerable. According to the FAO, over 500 million of the 570 million farms worldwide are family owned. There is a growing trend of smallholder farmers moving off farms due to uncertain land tenure, high input costs and limited access to markets, resulting in reduced competitiveness.CommentSmallholder farms are critical to global food production. Despite representing at least 56 per cent of agricultural production and supporting the livelihoods of billions worldwide, the land availability for family farms is shrinking. Today, the world’s smallholder farms combined represent approximately a quarter of all agricultural land.Pressure from large corporate farms and insecure land tenure are placing smallholder farmers and agricultural production at risk. According to GRAIN, farm sizes in India have roughly halved between 1971 and 2006. As big farms continue to expand globally, small, family-owned farms are shrinking and in many instances being forced out of business.Unclear land tenure systems in many countries, has created uncertainty amongst farmers and limited the long-term investment in agricultural development. It also encourages corruption and many farmers are forced off land or in some instances killed over land disputes. More secure land rights for farmers will lead to increased investment and therefore greater returns, profitability and livelihood security for millions of the world’s poorest. In some countries it may also deter the forced displacement of farming populations.Family farms are crucial for livelihood security and a key to poverty alleviation. It is no coincidence that at least 70 per cent of the world’s food insecure people are from small farms in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Near East. Supporting extension initiatives for smallholder farms, therefore, is critical to reducing hunger and poverty.Smallholder farms are also often the most sustainable users of natural resources. They safeguard the world’s agro-biodiversity, are often more productive than larger corporate farms and support local economies. In Vietnam, where 73 per cent of its population is rural and dependent on agriculture, development of its smallholder farming sector has yielded wide-ranging economic benefits. Poverty rates fell from 58 per cent in 1979 to under 15 per cent in 2007. Supporting smallholder competitiveness and productivity in developing countries can increase economic growth and alleviate poverty.The prevailing shift towards fewer, larger farms may increase efficiencies in some sectors but risks increasing the number of people experiencing hunger and poverty, reducing the nutritional value of food produced, increasing environmental degradation and monopolising the food system.Supporting the continuation of the family farm is of global concern. Projected population growth and rates of urbanisation will increase the demand for food, reduce the resources with which we can produce it and limit the agricultural workforce. Addressing the challenges faced by family farmers; insecure land rights, limited access to technological development and difficulty accessing local, national and international markets, to name a few, will be paramount. This will not only have a positive effect on the world food system but will also assist with reducing hunger, poverty alleviation and increasing the diversity and strength of local economies. We all benefit from a diverse food system with a strong smallholder production base; in the International Year of Family Farming urgent action is required to ensure their long-term survival.Sinéad LehaneResearch ManagerGlobal Food and Water Crisis Research Programme