When floods destroyed one Pakistani farmer’s crops and income, they also destroyed her ability to get and repay the credit on which she, like millions of smallholders, depends. Rita Abiodun looks at a programme that offers much more protection from climate shocks to microfinance users.
How can programmes to change farming markets be led by national NGOs?
Ashley Aarons sets out how international organisations can enable national NGOs to take the lead on efforts to change the lives of smaller farmers, including changing contracts, training and supporting coalitions.
It’s time to tackle the power imbalance between farmers and agribusiness buyers
System change programmes have had significant impacts on farmers and workers around the world. However, says Ashley Aarons, they have tended to ignore the existence and harm of power imbalances. Drawing on Oxfam´s work in Southeast Asia, he suggests new tactics and examples of how to address such imbalances.
How firms can push for more women leaders in their supply chains – with the help of a new gender toolkit
Jiselle Steele on key barriers for women seeking senior roles in supply chains – and how the Oxfam Business Advisory Service worked with Tesco to help suppliers tackle the obstacles. You can also find out more about the new Supplier Gender Toolkit at our webinar on September 19th.
Africa is so rich in farmland – so why is it still hungry?
Farmers who can’t afford fertiliser or pesticides will never feed themselves – or our continent, say Anthony Kamande and Dailes Judge. That means, alongside action on climate change, conflict and market reforms, leaders and policymakers at this week’s African Union meeting must address massive under-investment in agriculture
Want to beat poverty in south-east Asia? Start by supporting its women farmers
Marie Lisa Dacanay and Ashley Aarons introduce a new guide that sets out how to empower women small-scale farmers, including supporting women to take up roles beyond production such as processing, distribution and marketing
What are supermarkets doing to tackle human suffering in their supply chains?
Last year, Oxfam embarked on a campaign asking 16 supermarkets to take responsibility for ending human suffering in their food supply chains. A year on, Monica Romis asks, what has changed? Slow progress to respect human rights The 2019 Supermarket Scorecard shows that, while some are doing better than others, all supermarkets lack sufficient policies to properly protect the people who produce our food. No supermarket does even 40% of what the Oxfam benchmark asks them to. Eight of the 16 companies, including Lidl, Plus and Whole …
How can overcoming educational barriers improve the sustainability of smallholder supply chains?
[buzzsprout episode=’2559220′ player=’true’] In this podcast we speak to Amanda Klarer, the Responsible Farming Program Manager at Marcatus QED, who works with some of the world’s leading and niche consumer brands to develop customised sourcing programmes, innovative products and sustainable supply chains. Marcatus QED is one of Unilever’s supply partners for their gherkin supply chain, and is part of the …