About: smallholders

Do smallholders need rights of their own, and if so, which ones?

Do farmers have and/or need different rights to other people? Michael Brüntrup argues that gaining the support of rural dwellers and ensuring they benefit from development should be the top priority.

Burden faced by Africa’s small farmers masked by focus on migration and poverty

Some 70% of the world’s food is grown by smallholder farmers, the majority in the developing world, who will have to help output double by 2030 to keep up with population growth, a panel of experts at the European Development Days in Brussels heard on Thursday (8 June).

Short food chains seen as answer to farmers’ pay and product quality

Local markets, where farmers and producers sell directly to the consumer, have prospered across the EU in both rural and urban areas in recent years.

Industrial agriculture threatens to drive German smallholders into ruin

The existence of many farms is dependent on economic pressure and competition brought by larger scale holdings. More and more German farms are being driven into ruin and the environment is paying a hefty price too. EURACTIV Germany reports.

Swedwatch: Report highlights abuses in Bangladeshi tobacco industry

The EU should require traceability of raw tobacco from a farmer to the final product, and include country of origin in export and import information, a Swedish campaign group told EURACTIV.com.

Africa’s farming potential hinges on infrastructure boost

Africa’s huge agricultural potential holds the promise of covering much of the planet’s nutrition needs. But the continent is hampered by lack of infrastructure and intricate local politics.

Financiers attack EU rules against food speculation

The EU’s Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (MiFID) II is supposed to prevent excessive food speculation. But Oxfam says the financial sector is fighting stricter rules, with grave repercussions. EURACTIV Germany reports.

German Minister plans ‘Green Revolution’ to combat world hunger

With green innovation centres “Made in Germany”, Development Minister Gerd Müller hopes to eradicate world hunger by 2030, while critics warn the biggest winners in the new initiative could be the wrong ones. EURACTIV Germany reports.

Foodwatch: German TTIP study ‘utopian’

Consumer rights NGO foodwatch sharply criticised a German Development Ministry study on TTIP, saying the planned EU-US free trade agreement is a poverty scheme for the world’s poorest countries, and is an “interest-driven sham”. EURACTIV Germany reports.

Berlin Memorandum calls on G7 to end ‘hunger scandal’

Ahead of the G7 Summit, a global alliance of NGOs, scientists and businesses is demanding a paradigm shift in development policy, calling for industrialised countries like Germany to approach smallholders on equal footing as the only way to effectively combat poverty, climate change and armed conflicts. EURACTIV Germany reports.

Agriculture development chief: ‘The crisis after Ebola will be a food shortage crisis’

Food production structures in many West African countries face the threat of collapse – a consequence of the Ebola epidemic that is also likely to affect Europe, says Kanayo F. Nwanze, President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), in an interview with EURACTIV Germany.

German aid criticised for funding Thai TV show on ‘safe pesticide use’

In a new reality show featuring farmers in Thailand, BASF, the world's largest chemicals corporation, is collecting German development funds to advertise for artificial pesticide use, causing NGOs to question government cooperation with big business in development aid campaigns. EURACTIV Germany reports.

NGOs blame Berlin for feeding big business land grabs

NGOs in Germany accuse the public development agency DEG of promoting land grabbing in developing and newly industrialised countries and blames the German government for not taking the issue seriously. EURACTIV Germany reports.

Oxfam: German food project ‘ignores subsistence farmers’

A wide range of NGOs are criticising Germany's development policy, claiming Berlin is increasingly accommodating the interests of big agricultural companies. Meanwhile, a recent Oxfam report describess devastating effects for smallholders. EURACTIV Germany reports.

Study: Public-private partnerships threaten smallholders

Collaboration between public and private agriculture investment was thought to be beneficial for development. But a recent study focusing on Zambia argues the opposite: most companies simply seek a quick profit, while local smallholders sink further into poverty. EURACTIV Germany reports.