Today, 80% of the world’s hungry people produce food. This seeming paradox is the result of a distorted food system that forces 500 million small farmers, who cultivate surfaces less than two hectares in size, into a daily struggle to feed themselves and their families. Companies of this size cannot enjoy the advantages of larger ones (such as access to credit and markets or the use of modern technical means), which, among other things, too often shift the burden of costs onto the more fragile entities. Yet when they succeed, small farmers contribute to the development of rural communities, job creation and trade growth. It is time for a change: food companies should support increased productivity and profits of small farms. According to Oxfam’s Think Big, Go Small report increasing the integration of smallholder farmers into supply chains offers greater opportunities to acquire and retain new consumers, especially in emerging countries such as China, India, Mexico and Southeast Asia.
