President Mary Robinson: The realities of smallholder farmers must take center stage at COP30 – Chicago Tribune

The Critical Role of Smallholder Farmers in Achieving Sustainable Development Goals

Contribution to Global Food Security (SDG 2)

• Smallholder farms, occupying only 12% of the world’s farmland, are responsible for producing one-third of the global food supply.
• In Africa, their contribution is even more significant, accounting for nearly 70% of the continent’s food.
• This output underscores their fundamental importance in the pursuit of SDG 2 (Zero Hunger).

Disproportionate Climate Vulnerability and Financial Exclusion

• Smallholder farmers, a significant number of whom are women, face the most severe impacts of climate change, including droughts, floods, new pests, and erratic growing seasons.
• Despite their critical role, they are largely excluded from climate finance, receiving less than 1% of the total allocation.
• This financial gap presents a major obstacle to achieving SDG 13 (Climate Action) and threatens global food systems, potentially exacerbating hunger and destabilizing societies.

Addressing Climate Adaptation and Gender Equality

The Neglected Pillar of Climate Action (SDG 13)

• Climate adaptation remains a neglected component of the global climate response, hindered by a failure of wealthy nations to deliver on a pledged $100 billion in annual adaptation finance.
• Contrary to being passive recipients of aid, smallholder communities are active innovators, utilizing generational knowledge to develop groundbreaking solutions for climate resilience.

Empowering Female Farmers for Systemic Change (SDG 5)

• Misconceptions often portray smallholder and rural female farmers as victims rather than the agricultural experts they are.
• Targeted investment in female farmers can yield substantial benefits across multiple Sustainable Development Goals.

1. Enhanced Food Security (SDG 2): Providing access to climate-resilient seeds, sustainable farming practices, and improved irrigation.
2. Poverty Reduction (SDG 1): Boosting household incomes and strengthening local economies.
3. Biodiversity Conservation (SDG 15): Promoting sustainable agricultural practices.
4. Climate Mitigation (SDG 13): Implementing farming techniques that can also sequester carbon.

• Directing investment toward female farmers equivalent to their agricultural output could add an estimated $1 trillion to the global economy, directly supporting SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth).

Case Studies in Sustainable Development

Ethiopia: Gender-Inclusive Water Governance and Food Security

• Investment in southern Ethiopia has facilitated more gender-balanced leadership in water governance, aligning with SDG 5 (Gender Equality).
• This participation has led to more reliable water access and the implementation of climate-smart irrigation techniques.
• Key outcomes contributing to the SDGs include:
  • Increased growing seasons from one to three annually.
  • Greater crop diversity with higher nutritional and economic value (SDG 2).
  • Boosted household incomes and a stronger local economy (SDG 1, SDG 8).

India: Climate-Resilient Livelihoods and Environmental Restoration

• In Maharashtra, investment has equipped women to become leaders in bamboo cultivation, transforming unproductive land into a source of climate-resilient, long-term livelihoods.
• This initiative supports multiple SDGs through its outcomes:
  • Improved long-term financial security and community resilience (SDG 1).
  • Integration of female entrepreneurs into global supply chains for furniture, flooring, and textiles (SDG 8).
  • Significant environmental benefits, as bamboo absorbs up to 45% more carbon dioxide than equivalent tree plantations (SDG 13, SDG 15).

Policy Recommendations for COP30 and Beyond

Prioritizing Smallholder Farmers in Global Climate Finance

• The transformation of food systems, a key topic for COP30, will only be meaningful if it recognizes and supports the smallholder farmers who sustain global food security.
• The central issue for global leaders is to establish mechanisms for predictable and accessible adaptation finance that reaches those already driving resilience in their fields.

A Call for Action and Investment (SDG 17)

1. Global leaders at COP30 must make more ambitious commitments on climate adaptation finance.
2. These commitments must be translated into fair, sustained, and accessible financial mechanisms for smallholder farmers, particularly women.
3. The Baku to Belém Roadmap must ensure that mobilized resources are channeled effectively to these key actors in the food system.
4. This funding must be framed as a strategic investment in global resilience and economic prosperity, essential for achieving SDG 1 (No Poverty), SDG 2 (Zero Hunger), SDG 5 (Gender Equality), and SDG 13 (Climate Action).

Analysis of Sustainable Development Goals in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

1. SDG 1: No Poverty
   • The article connects investment in smallholder farmers, particularly women, to poverty reduction. It highlights how improved agricultural practices and access to finance lead to boosted household incomes, which is a direct measure against poverty.
2. SDG 2: Zero Hunger
   • This is a central theme. The article emphasizes the critical role of smallholder farmers in global food production, stating they “grow a third of the world’s food.” It discusses how climate change threatens their farms, which would “exacerbate hunger,” and how supporting them is essential for “food security.”
3. SDG 5: Gender Equality
   • The article specifically focuses on “female smallholder farmers,” who are often portrayed as victims rather than experts. It advocates for their empowerment through access to finance and leadership roles, citing examples in Ethiopia and India where investment in women has led to “gender-balanced leadership” and economic independence.
4. SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
   • The article discusses the creation of “climate-resilient, long-term livelihoods” through initiatives like bamboo cultivation. It also quantifies the economic impact of investing in female farmers, suggesting it could add “$1 trillion to the global economy,” thereby strengthening local and global economies.
5. SDG 13: Climate Action
   • The entire article is framed around the impacts of climate change on agriculture. It calls for urgent action on “resilience and adaptation” for smallholder farmers, criticizes the lack of “climate finance” reaching them, and highlights the failure of wealthy nations to meet the “$100 billion annual adaptation pledge.” It also touches on mitigation, noting that bamboo cultivation helps absorb carbon dioxide.
6. SDG 15: Life on Land
   • The article mentions that supporting smallholders with sustainable farming practices contributes to “biodiversity conservation.” The example of bamboo cultivation in India shows how “unproductive land” can be restored to create productive, climate-resilient ecosystems.
7. SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals
   • The article calls for global cooperation and financial commitments, specifically referencing the upcoming “climate-change COP30” and the “Baku to Belém Roadmap.” It urges wealthy nations to fulfill their financial pledges and for international bodies to ensure climate finance is channeled effectively to those who need it most, like smallholder farmers.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

1. Target 2.3: By 2030, double the agricultural productivity and incomes of small-scale food producers, in particular women… through secure and equal access to… financial services.
   • The article directly addresses this by advocating for “fair and sustained access to finance” for female smallholder farmers to raise productivity and income.
2. Target 2.4: By 2030, ensure sustainable food production systems and implement resilient agricultural practices that increase productivity and production, that help maintain ecosystems… and that progressively improve land and soil quality.
   • This is reflected in the call to provide farmers with “climate-resilient seeds, sustainable farming practices, improved irrigation and early warning systems.” The bamboo cultivation example also aligns with improving unproductive land.
3. Target 5.a: Undertake reforms to give women equal rights to economic resources, as well as access to… financial services.
   • The article’s core argument is that female farmers are “almost entirely excluded from the investment” and that providing them with “fair, sustained access to finance” is critical.
4. Target 13.1: Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters in all countries.
   • The article is centered on building the resilience of smallholder farmers who are “facing the most severe impacts of climate change,” such as “droughts, floods, new pests and diseases.”
5. Target 13.a: Implement the commitment undertaken by developed-country parties… to a goal of mobilizing jointly $100 billion annually… to address the needs of developing countries in the context of meaningful mitigation actions and transparency on implementation.
   • The article explicitly mentions this target by stating, “Wealthy nations have still not delivered the $100 billion annual adaptation pledge made in 2009.”
6. Target 13.b: Promote mechanisms for raising capacity for effective climate change-related planning and management… including focusing on women.
   • The article’s plea to channel climate finance to “female smallholder farmers” who are “already driving resilience” directly supports this target.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

1. Proportion of climate finance allocated to smallholder farmers: The article provides a clear baseline indicator by stating they receive “less than 1% of all climate finance.” Progress would be measured by an increase in this percentage.
2. Contribution to global economy: The article suggests a potential economic indicator: an increase of “$1 trillion to the global economy” if female farmers receive adequate investment.
3. Agricultural productivity and food security: An indicator is the number of growing seasons, which the article states increased “from one to three” in Ethiopia due to climate-smart irrigation. Another is the proportion of global food supply from smallholders, currently at “a third of the world’s food.”
4. Mobilization of international climate finance: The article points to the “$100 billion annual adaptation pledge” as a key financial indicator that is currently not being met.
5. Carbon sequestration rates: An environmental indicator is mentioned in the context of bamboo, which can absorb “up to 45% more carbon dioxide than equivalent tree plantations.”

4. Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: chicagotribune.com