Smallholder Systems & Rural Development

They farm on a few acres or less, yet together they produce a large share of the world's food and steward much of its farmland. Smallholders are the backbone of agriculture across vast regions, and the future of food security rests heavily on whether their farms and communities can thrive. Smallholder Systems & Rural Development is the session that centres these producers — not as a problem to be solved, but as the foundation of rural economies and a key to feeding a growing population.

Smallholding is not simply farming at a small scale; it is a distinct reality shaped by limited capital, fragmented land, restricted market access, and tight margins for risk. A failed season that a large operation absorbs can be catastrophic for a smallholder. Yet these farms are also remarkably efficient, diverse, and rooted in local knowledge. Supporting smallholder farming and rural livelihoods means strengthening not only production but the surrounding fabric — access to inputs, credit, markets, and services — and recognising that farm and community prosperity rise and fall together.

This session gathers rural development specialists, smallholder advocates, and agricultural researchers to focus on what genuinely helps small farms flourish. The programme covers smallholder production systems, access to finance and inputs, market linkages and aggregation, rural infrastructure and services, and the broader dynamics of rural livelihoods and poverty reduction. Contributors to this Agriculture Conference will explore how appropriate technology, fair market access, and supportive institutions can lift smallholder incomes and resilience — and how rural development that works for small farms strengthens food security and stability far beyond the farm gate.