At a glance
- Agriculture is the main source of income for several hundred million people around the world who struggle with poverty and hunger, most of whom are connected to small-scale, or smallholder, farms—plots of land roughly the size of a soccer pitch or American football field.
- We invest in agriculture across sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia because research shows that growth in the agricultural sector is the most effective way to reduce poverty and hunger.
- Smallholder farmers in these regions, who collectively supply most of the population’s food, are incredibly resourceful in the face of challenges but need new options for sustainably producing and selling a wide array of crop and livestock products, especially as climate change rapidly intensifies the stresses they face.
- Evidence shows that with the right kinds of support, smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia can tap the power of food production to create a better life for their families and improve their communities while providing local consumers with reliable access to healthy, affordable food.
- Our investments in agriculture play an important role in the foundation’s broader effort to empower women and girls with economic opportunities.
Our strategy
Areas of focus
We support partners in the public and private sectors across several African countries that are committed to transforming smallholder agriculture into a sustainable, inclusive foundation of economic opportunity.
We support efforts in key areas of Asia to develop diversified farming and food systems that improve access to affordable, nutritious food and strengthen market opportunities for smallholder producers.
We support public-sector crop breeding programs in Africa and Asia, which have developed considerable insights into the needs and preferences of local farmers, processors, and consumers.
We invest in crop research, with the goal of providing new advances that farmers can use to sustainably increase their productivity.
We support local and national efforts to develop food systems anchored by smallholder producers that can sustainably deliver safe, affordable, and nutritious food year-round to low-income people.
We work to ensure that public- and private-sector agricultural development efforts in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia are supported by targeted resources from donors and are aligned with the goals of global institutions such as the World Bank.
Our livestock investments support smallholder livestock keepers in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia in their efforts to sustainably raise healthy, productive animals.
We believe that digitally enabled platforms offer new options to help smallholder farmers leapfrog many of the barriers to sustainably raising productivity and increasing their incomes.
Our agricultural investments play an important role in the foundation’s broader effort to empower women and girls with economic opportunities.
Why focus on agricultural development?
Our partners
AGRA is a farmer-centered institution led by Africans with roots in farming communities across the continent. It works with a large network of partners to deliver proven solutions to smallholder farmers and local agricultural enterprises. AGRA’s goal is to transform agriculture in Africa from a struggle to survive to businesses that thrive.
WAVE is an international research initiative to fight root and tuber crop diseases that threaten the livelihoods of Africa’s smallholder farmers.
CGIAR is a global research partnership dedicated to reducing poverty, enhancing food and nutrition security, and improving natural resources and ecosystem services. Its 15 research centers work in close collaboration with hundreds of partners, including national and regional research institutes, civil society organizations, academia, development organizations, and the private sector.
The ATA is a strategy- and delivery-oriented government agency that works to accelerate the growth and transformation of Ethiopia’s agricultural sector. Its sole focus is on improving the livelihoods of smallholder farmers across the country.
FarmStack is an open-source platform that helps smallholder farmers and organizations in India and Ethiopia exchange data across the food and agriculture system.
SELEVER seeks better nutrition for women and children in Burkina Faso by strengthening women’s economic opportunities in poultry production.
Sidai is a social enterprise that supplies quality livestock and crop inputs and training to smallholder farmers and pastoralists across Kenya.