Rural small scale farmers are an invaluable asset to the global food economy. Despite their size, they produce more than a third (around 35 percent) of the world’s food and provide up to 80 percent of the food supply in sub-Saharan Africa according to the FAO. These rural farmers play a key role in providing nutritious food to their local communities, maintaining ecosystems, and furthering sustainable agriculture.
Rural Livelihood
The Challenge
In rural Kenya, approximately 80 % of the population is involved in farming as a way of earning a living. Small-scale farming, raising livestock and non-farm activities are some of the common livelihoods that these populations survive on. Rural livelihood poses a great challenge as these populations are often in a state of poverty where they lack the basic necessities for survival.
These farmers are facing a significant challenges. They often lack sufficient funds, work with improper infrastructure, or are vulnerable to the whims of supply chains that can favor large-scale farmers. Climate change plays a role in making it difficult for these farmers to sustain their agricultural operations, too: severe weather events and changes in weather patterns have damaged land and created unpredictable conditions for harvesting crops.
Other systemic challenges that hold smallholders back include gender inequality, limited access to training, information, and farm inputs.
Our Solutions
Most of the world’s poorest and hungry people live in rural areas. GN LIFE invests in the very people most likely to be left behind: poor small-scale farmers, women, youth, indigenous peoples and other vulnerable groups. Investing in rural areas promotes prosperity, food security and resilience. Economic growth in agriculture is two to three times more effective at reducing poverty and food insecurity than growth in other sectors.
GN LIFE empowers, supports resilient and sustainable agriculture that benefits and empowers poor and
vulnerable smallholder farmers, particularly women and youth rural communities, through delivery of quality education and training in a variety of skills needed to increase their productivity, incomes, and attain sustainable rural livelihoods.
