The vital role of small-scale farmers in the fight against climate change

Small-scale farmers produce more than one-third of the world's food and feed between 4.5 and 5.5 billion people, yet they receive only 1.7% of global climate finance. These producers are facing overlapping crises, including climate change, inflation, and pests, which threaten global food security. The author calls on developed nations at COP27 to honor the $100 billion annual climate finance pledge, with half dedicated to adaptation, to enable investments in drought-tolerant crops, climate-smart irrigation, and stormproof infrastructure.

• Small-scale farmers are critical to global food security, producing over one-third of the world's food and feeding between 4.5 and 5.5 billion people, despite using only 11% of global farmland in developing countries.
• Small-scale farmers are facing a convergence of crises, including climate change, COVID-19, livestock diseases like swine fever, and locust infestations in sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East, leading to severe food price inflation in 90% of low and lower middle-income countries.
• There is a significant gap in climate funding for small-scale producers, who receive only 1.7% of global climate finance despite being highly vulnerable to rising temperatures and extreme weather, particularly in the Sahel region and Central America's dry corridor.
• Investment in climate adaptation can yield significant results; for instance, a programme in Niger that focused on soil stabilization and water table recharging through replanting grasses and trees increased crop yields by up to 40%.
• The author urges developed countries at COP27 to fulfill their pledge of $100 billion annually in climate finance for developing nations, specifically requesting that 50% of this be allocated to climate adaptation.

APA

Lario, A. (2022). The vital role of small-scale farmers in the fight against climate change. World Economic Forum. https://www.weforum.org/stories/food-water-air/the-vital-role-of-small-scale-farmers-climate-change/

Chicago

Lario, Alvaro. The vital role of small-scale farmers in the fight against climate change. World Economic Forum, 2022. https://www.weforum.org/stories/food-water-air/the-vital-role-of-small-scale-farmers-climate-change/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Lario |first1=Alvaro |title=The vital role of small-scale farmers in the fight against climate change |publisher=World Economic Forum |date=4 November 2022 |url=https://www.weforum.org/stories/food-water-air/the-vital-role-of-small-scale-farmers-climate-change/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{lario2022vital, author = {Lario, Alvaro}, title = {{The vital role of small-scale farmers in the fight against climate change}}, publisher = {World Economic Forum}, year = {2022}, month = nov, url = {https://www.weforum.org/stories/food-water-air/the-vital-role-of-small-scale-farmers-climate-change/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }