Empowering 100 Million Smallholder Farmers

Have you ever wondered who is behind the food on your plate? Meet smallholder farmers, the unsung heroes of global agriculture. Their farms are small, but their impact is huge. They are the ones working tirelessly day in day out to grow the food that keeps us all going, even in the face of countless challenges. Smallholders are real game changers in the field, for their local communities and for global food security.

Let's take a closer look at who they are and their incredible contributions.

A smallholder farmer is a producer who rears livestock, raises fish, or cultivates crops on a small scale. In the developing world, the typically family-owned farms operate on up to 10 hectares (24 acres), and most cultivate on less than 2 hectares (5 acres). They often rely on family labor and may keep a portion of their harvest for household consumption. Smallholder farmers may be landowners or cultivate land they do not own.

Most (84%) of the world’s 570 million farms are smallholdings. In the developing world, the typically family-owned farms cultivate only a few hectares of land. These farms are primarily located in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), notably across Asia and Africa. Despite their modest scale, they are responsible for feeding over half of the population in their regions. According to recent research, farms smaller than 2 hectares or 5 acres produce roughly 35% of the world’s food, and provide up to 80% of the food supply in Asia and sub-Saharan Africa.

The world has not solved the hunger and malnutrition challenge, and the numbers are dire: Nearly 1 in 3 people worldwide lack essential vitamins and minerals. And around 733 million suffer from hunger, which means they go to bed hungry. Smallholders and their families may be affected themselves. Yet we look to them to produce more nutritious food for a growing population with less environmental impact and less resources.

At Bayer, we are driven by our mission “Health for all, hunger for none”.  We believe that good nutrition is rooted in a diverse and balanced diet. Our business supports the production of a wide variety of food crops, from staple grains like corn, rice and wheat to fruits, vegetables, pulses, and nuts. We also support the production of grain products for feeding livestock which provide quality proteins like meat, milk and eggs. Our portfolio of innovative products and solutions, including seeds, crop protection products and digital tools, empowers farmers to produce these high quality, nutritious foods for people and animals in a sustainable and increasingly regenerative way.

Recognizing the vital role of smallholder farmers for global food security and the challenges they face, we are targeting to support 100 million smallholder farmers in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) by 2030. We focus on improving access to agricultural products, services, and partnerships. This target is central to our company’s Sustainability Targets.

Our approach prioritizes creating market models that reduce risks for all stakeholders, with smallholder farmers at the core. By enhancing their access to the agricultural value chain, boosting productivity and income, and building resilience, we aim to strengthen food security in LMICs.

This is not just a pledge; it’s action. We are continuously expanding our initiatives to meet the unique needs of smallholder farmers worldwide, offering modern products, digital tools, financing, capacity building, market access, and more.

Here’s a glimpse of how we empower smallholders.

To enhance their operations, we are helping smallholder farmers afford, adopt, and benefit from sustainable and innovative farming solutions through interventions in 4 focus areas:

1. Empowering Farmers with Knowledge and Insights
   Smallholder farmers need access to modern technology and practices to improve their farming practices and better support their communities. Digital tools like FarmRise and BayG.A.P. provide valuable insights and help farmers make informed decisions.
2. Building Partnerships and Access to Finance & Markets
   Collaboration is key to create comprehensive solutions along the value chain. Recognizing this, we partner with industry stakeholders to provide small farms access to vital resources such as finance, markets, and healthcare services. Initiatives like the Better Life Farming Alliance exemplify our commitment to this approach.
3. Tailoring Solutions to Smallholder Needs
   We prioritize developing solutions that are tailored to the unique context of smallholder farming. From seed innovations like more water efficient TELA maize to pest control, disease prevention, and weed management, we provide farmers with the tools they need for better and sustainable agricultural practices.
4. Digital Tools
   We support smallholder farmers by giving them access to digital tools that enable them to improve their productivity and sustainability. Through our initiatives, we offer mobile applications and digital advisory services that deliver real-time weather data, crop protection advice, market insights, and more. Access to additional information can help farmers make informed decisions, improve crop yields, and increase their income.

Our global initiatives are making a real and measurable impact. They are tailored to address the specific needs and challenges faced by farmers in different regions and crops. Designed with farmers in mind, these programs provide effective, practical solutions that are helping to transform agricultural practices worldwide.

But don’t just take our word for it—hear directly from the farmers themselves. Their stories highlight the meaningful improvements and positive change these initiatives are bringing to their farms and communities. Explore how our efforts are shaping a better future, one farmer at a time.

In 2024, together with our partners, we supported 52 million smallholder farmers in LMICs with our products and services.

The Bayer Foundation funds the Digital Farmer II program of our partner Mercy Corps Agrifin together with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ). This leverages the spread of digital technologies to develop more efficient digital information and financial products and services for smallholder farmers. The program achieved its goal of serving up to five million registered users in Nigeria, Kenya and Ethiopia set for 2025 ahead of schedule. In 2024, we reached some 4.1 million smallholder farmers via non-commercial partnerships. 

In November 2024 the Bayer Foundation, with the funding of Bayer Crop Science, signed a grant agreement with The Pula Foundation to support the 10 million Resilient Farmer Initiative from 2025 through 2030. The initiative has the target of insuring 10 million smallholder farmers against climate risks in seven countries in Africa and Asia by 2030.

Read more about  Our Targets & Our Progress.
Read more about the Smallholder Reach Methodology in the Method Paper Smallholder Reach (PDF)