Supporting African Smallholders as a Means to Achieve Food Security

While there is enough food produced to feed today's world population, almost one billion people suffer every day from hunger. Syngenta believes part of the solution lies in the hands of smallholders, who – through gaining better access to technology, markets and knowledge - can substantially increase their productivity. This will not only enable smallholders to become self-sufficient and earn a profit as commercial farmers, but also help to feed the world. The challenge for food security, which already dominates the global political agenda, is set to get bigger in the coming decades: by 2050, we will see our population rise from 7 to 9 billion, with most of the increase forecast in the developing world. As population grows, so does competition for land, water, labor and capital. As witnessed again this year in regions including Australia, Europe, India, and the US – food supply is being constrained by erratic weather events. These can impact not only crop yield but also transport and storage. Even when food is available, price increases can still make it unaffordable for many: poverty ultimately remains the biggest limiting factor to food security.