The Zero Hunger Challenge – Advisory note for action
100% INCREASE IN SMALLHOLDER PRODUCTIVITY AND INCOME
View the full Advisory Note on “100% increase in smallholder productivity and income”
I. Definition
For the purpose of this working group, references to smallholders or to small-scale food producers are meant to include smallholders, small-scale rural processors, agriculture and food workers, artisanal fishermen, pastoralists, rural artisans, indigenous peoples and the landless. Doubling income has been interpreted as doubling their consumption and savings opportunities in monetary terms. Doubling productivity has been interpreted as doubling the ratio of output to inputs used in the agricultural production process implemented by these groups.
II. Policy measures
Proposals for policies and investments to be established by governments to help achieve these outcomes are grouped around nine areas:
- • Promote adequate, secure and equal access for women and men to land, natural resources, finance, knowledge and technology, infrastructure, services and markets.
- • Foster increased and equal access for men and women, and in particular young people, to agricultural and rural advisory services, including agricultural research and extension, as well as improved seeds and good planting materials.
- • Promote investments in sustainable agriculture, in accordance with the “Principles for responsible investments in agriculture and food systems” of the Committee on World Food Security (2014) and the “Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests in the Context of National Food Security.”
- • Enhance smallholder resilience, including through diversification of farm and non-farm employment, and increased investments in agricultural research.
- • Promote the application of international labour standards in the rural economy and in the agricultural sector in particular, giving priority to core labour standards.
- • Strengthen farmers’ organizations, the organizations of smallholders and waged agricultural workers, and other rural-based organizations, paying particular attention to women and youth, to increase their participation and voice in policy and decision-making processes that drive agricultural and broader rural transformation and to recognize and enhance the economic roles of these organizations.
- • Promote access to social protection systems, including nationally defined social protection floors, and risk management mechanisms for smallholders.
- • Invest in the development of statistical indicators and data on the rural economy.
- • Take into account environment and climate change-related issues when designing and implementing agricultural and rural development policies.
III. Metrics
Three core indicators are proposed to track progress in the productivity and incomes of rural people across all country contexts (Group A) and four indicators that may be applicable only in certain country contexts (Group B):
GROUP A: Indicators applicable to all country contexts:
- • Value of total agricultural production per labour unit
- • Value of agricultural production per hectare
- • Incidence of the rural working poor (proportion of rural workers living in households below the nationally defined rural poverty threshold).
GROUP B: Indicators that may not be applicable to all country contexts:
- • Agriculture-orientation index of government expenditures
- • Share of women (and share of men) landowners out of total agricultural landowners
- • Proportion of agricultural land under irrigation
- • Incidence of the rural working poor (internationally-defined poverty threshold).
IV. Messaging
Messages to the private sector should focus on the importance of responsible investments in the agro-food sector— and the production of healthy foods —in accordance with CFS’ guidance and with the need to address decent work challenges.
Messages to civil society and farmers’ organizations should promote inclusive and sustainable transformation of smallholder agriculture.
V. Conclusion
The Zero Hunger Challenge Working Group 4 focused on reducing rural poverty reduction and improving the welfare of smallholders by raising incomes and productivity and creating decent work in rural areas. The content of this document reflects the collaboration among technical and policy experts across key UN agencies working on issues related to agricultural productivity and incomes and rural development at large. It combines analytical, programme, policy and investment perspectives, which take into account broader goals of sustainable development.
Given the heterogeneity of smallholder agriculture and rural livelihoods, this document acknowledges that there is “no one size fits all” approach toward achieving the established target of doubling smallholder productivity and income. Each country will thus have to adapt the definition and proposed policy measures for implementation and monitoring purposes.
The proposals in this document are intended to help inform approaches to monitoring and implementing SDGs that pertain to agriculture, and hunger and poverty reduction at national, regional and global levels, while SDG indicators, the development of which is currently under way, will be taken in to account to improve approaches to monitoring progress towards the objective of this specific element of the Zero Hunger Challenge. The indicators provide a tool for United Nations agencies and member States to monitor the status of smallholder productivity and incomes and the implementation of policy measures required to increase these significantly and to promote thriving rural economies.