The COVID-19 pandemic heightened global food insecurity due to reduced incomes and disrupted food supply chains. The situation was exacerbated by the increasing frequency of disasters related to climate change, which have devastated crops and farmlands. If left unchecked, escalating food shortages can spiral into conflicts and displacements, compoundingvulnerabilities of the marginalized.
The role of small-scale farmers—particularly those in Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa who contribute to 80 percent of the food consumedby their populations—is critical in delivering food and nutrition security. They also are key to preserving our biodiversity and ecosystems.
Yet, they tend to be disproportionately economically poor, do not have access to the most fundamental basic needs, and are not able to read and write.
The Farmers' Clubs, places the farmer and his/her family at the center of key activities: equipping them with new knowledge and practicing climate-resilient agricultural skills.
In the clubs, the farmers meet, learn, and support one another in finding solutions to the increasing climate-related challenges they face. Working together, the clubs develop ethical, sustainable production, and regenerative farming practices that they can implement in harmony with nature.
We have supported the Farmers' Clubs program over the past two decades. In 2021, we focused on program sites in Brazil and Ecuador.
Product marketing skills are also taught in Farmers Clubs.
Overall, these investments have boosted the confidence of small-scale farmers in adapting to climate-resilient practices. It has also deepened support systems among groups by encouraging learning exchanges and the replication of bestpractices such as investing in drought-resistant
crops, fruit trees, and bushes as well as broadening theapplication of sustainable livestock grazing, dripirrigation, and organic composting.
Read more about the projects Planet Aid supports in our 2021 Annual Report.