The future of truly socially and environmentally sustainable agriculture lies, without doubt, in small farming systems. It is true that some less intensive farming systems in history have failed, as for example, in parts of the Andes, of North Africa, or in the Middle East, as they were over-farmed to the point of degradation and even desertification. Even today, looking at the interrelationship between agriculture, poverty and the environment, it is clear that small producers can cause significant environmental problems, for example by being constrained to farm marginal land, not having efficient equipment, or lacking adequate information about better practices. Still, there is sufficient scientific evidence today to show that compared to input intensive, large-scale industrial farming, especially if the small farmers are largely producing their own inputs and practicing biodiversity farming, small farming systems carry the highest potential to realize agriculture’s role in regenerating social communities and the natural environment. Whether small farming systems will endure the 21st century or not, depends on their economic opportunities. To realize the full potential of small farming systems, at the regional, national, and international level, small farmers need to be empowered in their rights and political participation. This includes, among other things, ensuring land rights of communities as well as access to basic natural resources, especially strengthening women’s rights and land entitlements, investments into sustainability research and development, and help small farmers achieve ‘critical economic mass’ by promoting farmer unions, cooperatives, and other forms of cooperation.

 

[Download Discussion Paper]