Small-scale producers

The Latin American Learning Network members of the Knowledge Programme ‘Small producer agency in the globalised market’ convened in Lima from 12 to 16 September. They organised and participated in a series of meetings and events in conjunction with various prestigious organisations. The highlight of the programme was the International Forum ‘Small-scale producers: Actors in Globalised Markets and Food Security?’ on 14 September, organised by the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru.

At the latest provocation from IIED and Hivos, held in Brussels last week (22 June), a group of around 60 policymakers, academics and development practitioners gathered to discuss, among other things, the role of CSR in achieving development goals such as poverty reduction and the empowerment of small-scale farmers.

The fifth in a series of seminars on markets and small-scale farmers took place in Brussels, Belgium on 22 June 2011. View video and reports from the event

The fourth in a series of six seminars on markets and small-scale farmers took place in Manchester, United Kingdom on 25 May 2011.

In The Hague, Stockholm and Paris we have heard the call for more support to producer organisations through which small-scale farmers can have a voice in the market. This call was re-iterated at the latest IIED/HIVOS provocation ‘Making markets work for smallholders or wage labour?’ — held in Manchester, United Kingdom, last week, in collaboration with The University of Manchester.

Within development circles, there’s a common, if recent, mantra that the key to reducing poverty in the global South lies in investing in agriculture. Increasingly that investment focuses on building bridges between small-scale farmers and private markets in approaches known as ‘markets for the poor’.