Smallholder farmers as a backbone for the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals

Abstract

This paper reviews the role of smallholder farmers with respect to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Their double function in the adoption of the SDGs and their socio-economic limitations have made it difficult for them to fulfil the expectations as promoters of sustainable development. Our analysis showed that 13 SDGs and respective targets address these socio-economic limitations. We identified that the satisfaction of basic human needs is a central issue for smallholder farmers. Other essential issues are (a) innovative education and training options for producers; (b) new organisational forms such as cooperatives and start-ups along the value chain from production to logistics and marketing; (c) financial support; (d) access to farming information; (e) suitable, low-cost, and simple technological solutions and innovations;and (f) an enabling institutional environment. We grouped these issues under the categories "social," "environment," "economic," and "governance." To assess the double function of smallholder famers, we proposed to apply the handprint approach.This approach focuses on positive sustainability performance and on the social dimension, after modification for food and agriculture. It can therefore illustrate the potential of smallholder farmers as a backbone for sustainable development.

AgroTutor: A Mobile Phone Application Supporting Sustainable Agricultural Intensification

“…Even though the potential of citizen science data for monitoring the SDG indicators is being recognized [29], potential synergies and trade-offs arise when focusing on small farmers and agriculture [32]. When dealing with smallholders, satisfaction of basic needs is a priority, which may sometimes put them at odds with being promoters of sustainable development [33]. Moreover, it is very important to maintain privacy standards for crowdsourcing applications, especially in agriculture, so as to avoid potential issues or additional barriers that may hinder participation [34] or even set participants at risk by revealing critical information to the public.…”

A collaborative approach for urban underground space development toward sustainable development goals: Critical dimensions and future directions

“…However, according to a recent UN report, the global transformation required for SDGs' realization is "not yet advancing at the speed or scale required" [10], partly because SDGs cover broad dimensions that increase the complexity of striking a balance between meeting the essential needs of humans and the expected objectives to safeguard the Earth [11]. To address this issue, extensive research efforts have been made to reveal the linkages, such as synergies and tradeoffs, between SDGs and various domains such as water [12], soil [13], farmers [14], energy [15], fire [16], ecosystem [17], textiles [18], non-residential buildings [19], and new urban policies [20]. Evidently, the number of revealed linkages is positively correlated with the possibility that they contribute to SDGs via different aspects.…”

What's Stopping Knowledge Synthesis? A Systematic Review of Recent Practices in Research on Smallholder Diversity

“…Smallholder farms (those of <2 hectares in size) make up 84% of the farms worldwide (Lowder et al, 2016). Agricultural development interventions are an important driver of poverty reduction and smallholders, the targets of these interventions, have even been labeled the "backbone" for implementing the SDGs (Terlau et al, 2019).…”