About: smallholders

Bulgaria mulls a simplified VAT system to boost local fruits and vegetables
The Bulgarian government is planning to boost production of local fruits and vegetable by introducing a new VAT reimbursement system, local media quoted Deputy Minister of Agriculture Chavdar Marinov as saying.
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.![Kanayo F. Nwanze is President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). [C. Schubert/Flickr]](https://www.euractiv.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2014/11/kanayo_nwanze_ifad_ebola_krise_welthunger_0.jpeg)
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.![A new reality show in Thailand aims at boosting yields and product quality among smallholders. [Farm Channel Thailand]](https://www.euractiv.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2014/10/maxresdefault_0.jpeg)
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.![Oxfam protestors demonstrate against land grabbing in Westminster, UK. 2012 [Oxfam International/Flickr]](https://www.euractiv.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2014/06/8328853431-f8ee6f13e5-b.jpeg)
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.![Multinational corporations like Bayer CropScience and BASF want to promote rice production in Africa and Asia. Under the Federal Development Ministry's German Food Partnerships (GFP) project, they receive government funding. [Michael Heimann/pixelio.de]](https://www.euractiv.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2014/11/398585_original_r_by_michael_heimann_pixelio.de__0.jpeg)
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.![In Zambia 85% percent of population lives from agriculture. [Florence Devouard (CC BY-SA 2.0)]](https://www.euractiv.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2014/04/1024px-villagezambia3.jpeg)