Monthly Archives: May 2015

Spotlight on Smallholders: Creating Shared Value in Global Supply Chains

by Paul Rice, Fair Trade USA Smallholder farmers are the backbone of our global food systems. According to the FAO, small-scale family farming accounts for 80% of all farms in Latin America and the Caribbean. Yet most smallholders are living in conditions of extreme poverty. Though they’re the most valuable contributor in global supply chains, they’re also the least valued and least understood. That’s why the AgroLAC 2025 platform is unique.

Agricultural Productivity Begins with the Soil Under our Feet

by Margaret Zeigler, Ph.D., Global Harvest Initiative Springtime is here, and in the American heartland farmers are busy preparing their soil and planting crops. And although my childhood summers were spent on a cousin’s farm in Kentucky, my only regular experience with fertilizer these days is the occasional trip to the garden center. I suppose that is why I was surprised to learn recently that half of all crop yields are attributed to fertilizer.