Ruth Kajuju farms on two acres in Kenya, but her dreams are bigger than her land. She’s confident that she could successfully triple her workload, farming five or more acres: “I would improve my social status and be better able to look after my family,” she says.
It’s a sad irony that smallholder farmers like Kajuju, who spend their lives growing food, must often live on less than $2 per day. Despite their occupation—and their role combatting global food insecurity—many go hungry because they have limited access to inputs and infrastructure, and have little or no direct access to markets.
Because of crop losses—including those linked to diseases and prolonged dry spells—many smallholder farmers, who typically rely only on family labor, reach less than 20 percent of their potential productivity. The adverse effects of climate change further increase farmers’ risks and contribute to market price fluctuations.
The Better Life Farming initiative, launched this week at the Spring Meetings, aims to help smallholder farmers like Kajuju combat these issues, improving their farms’ sustainability and commercial viability. Kajuju, who participated in a Better Life pilot project, thinks it’s already created a more solid foundation for her: “As a result of this initiative, I see myself making major progress in the next three years,” she says.
The initiative is the result of a partnership between IFC, Bayer Crop Science, the global insurance company Swiss Re Corporate Solutions, and Netafim, a leader in drip irrigation technology. The goal is to reach millions of smallholder farmers by 2030.
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