Assisting Smallholder Farmers: Lessons Learned from Field Operations

 Please join the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) Global Food Security Project for a roundtable discussion focusing on smallholder agriculture and lessons learned by two NGOs working in the field. Ms. Margaret Vernon, Country Director for One Acre Fund, and Dr. Kimberley Roberts, Chairwoman of TractorShare, will share their stories on what their organizations are doing on the ground to successfully serve smallholder farmers, including providing access to farm inputs and equipment, financing, and training. Ambassador Bill Garvelink, Senior Adviser, U.S. Leadership in Development Program at CSIS, will moderate the discussion. 

Much of the world’s poor lives in rural areas and relies on agriculture for their livelihoods.  The global population is expected to surpass 9 billion in 2050 and food production will need to increase by as much as 70 percent.  For many poor, agriculture-based economies, it will become increasingly important to invest in smallholder farmers to reduce poverty and increase food security. Following brief presentations of the speakers, there will be a moderated roundtable discussion.