Smallholder farmers are central to global food security, rural livelihoods, and sustainable food systems. Estimates indicate that 70% of the world’s population depends primarily on small-scale producers for their food. When they come together in producer organizations, they’re able to sell their produce more effectively, access services and finance, and influence government policy.
As the 2026 climate negotiations in Bonn begin, ActionAid called for grant-based climate finance to reach producer organizations directly.
While most climate finance is currently directed to large, global institutions, direct financing of producer- and community-led organizations is more effective and offers better value for money. Strengthening local groups builds their capacity, ensuring they can support their members long after short-term projects end.
This policy brief by ActionAid and allies shares lessons from the innovative Global Agriculture and Food Security Program, a multilateral fund that puts smallholder farmers at the core of its approach. Since 2010, GAFSP has allocated $80 million to 32 producer organization-led projects, strengthening them as critical local institutions, contributing to improved farmer incomes, food security, nutrition, and resilience.
[The findings are drawn from participatory reviews conducted by the Civil Society Partnership for GAFSP, a consortium commissioned by GAFSP. The Partnership consists of ActionAid International, the Eastern and Southern Africa Small-Scale Farmers Forum (ESAFF), the Asian Partnership for the Development of Human Resources in Rural Areas (AsiaDHRRA), and Coordination pour des Actions en Santé et en Développement d’Haïti (COSADH).]