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Our work with farmers

More than two billion people live and work on small family-run farms, growing much of our world’s food. Supporting these farmers in their business and strengthening their resilience is at the heart of our work.

Our work with farmers

More than two billion people live and work on small family-run farms, growing much of our world’s food. Supporting these farmers in their business and strengthening their resilience is at the heart of our work.

The significance of farmers

Farmers often work in challenging field conditions, have limited training opportunities, and don’t produce optimum yields, all of which affects their livelihoods. This – along with globalisation, disease, pest outbreaks, and climate change – threatens the future of our farms, crops, and commodities.

In our work, we see farmers as entrepreneurs who can directly benefit from targeted support, in order to bring their farm businesses to their full ecological, economic and social potential. We work with farmers to empower them and improve their resilience, strengthen their connections with buyers and their position in the supply chain; all on their own terms.

In Indonesia, for example, 40% of palm oil is produced by small-scale farmers. Though they are often overlooked as key actors in natural preservation, efforts to maintain food security and ecosystem services are inextricably linked to their farms.

Facts

Smallholders in Asia, Latin America and Sub-Saharan Africa harvest 53% of the world’s crop calories consumed by humans
43% of the agricultural labour force in the Global South is made up of women
80% of the farmland in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia is managed by smallholders

What we do

Our work to strengthen the resilience of farmers has been ongoing since 2011. Today, we work with farmers in 15 countries. Our field teams live and work among the farmers, build trust with them and understand the local context of their lives. This approach informs tailor-made strategies to address farmers' practical needs. Our strategies are business-minded and empower farmers to define their own journey and enhance their social and environmental management.

We leverage the power of local and global supply chains by actively engaging suppliers, producers, and brands

Our programme, implemented with partners, drives change for farmers by enhancing their resilience, empowering them to respect the environment, and strengthening their relationships with buyers

We co-create innovative and scalable solutions and act as a bridge for farmers, connecting them to peers and stakeholders.

Why we're unique

At Earthworm we believe that there is no one-size-fits-all solution. Instead, we build community-specific mechanisms that help to empower farmers to create, tap into and own the mechanisms that will strengthen their resilience and improve their livelihoods. What makes us unique is that our local team lives together with communities and works with farmers in the field to understand their needs and develop suitable solutions. Our participatory approach allows farmers and the community to come together to create pathways to change together with other local stakeholders involved including government, private businesses, and NGOs.

Our impact

Since 2015, we have engaged 21’456 farmers across 15 countries and impacted indirectly 60’000 farmers and family members.

2959 of those farmers have diversified their farming activities, increasing their average household income by 20%.

We work with 244 partners and protect more than 53,000 ha of key habitat and forest in our project areas

Our approach

Our farmer-focused programme is built around four goals: to build strong and fruitful relationships along the supply chain, improve farmer livelihoods and social conditions, protect the environment and scale up successful approaches. We implement these 4 goals through a variety of strategies – see some examples below:

Rural Dynamics Diagnostic

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Holistic Farm Management

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Livelihood Diversification Strategy

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Resources

Our Projects

Soubré, Côte d’Ivoire

Soubré Landscape, Côte d’Ivoire

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