Smallholder Sustainability Upscaling Programme - Phase II

Context

Smallholder farmers in developing countries represent a substantial portion of the global agricultural workforce which is estimated at around 1 billion people. This represents more than a quarter of all the people in employment in the world of which around 475 million are households involved in small-scale farming. By supporting smallholder farmers, development initiatives can address the root causes of poverty, create substantial impacts on local and national economies, and promote environmental conservation and resilience against climate change. 

Despite their significant contributions, smallholder farmers face numerous challenges that hinder their productivity and overall well-being. There is a need to promote more sustainable, nutrition-sensitive and environmentally friendly agricultural practices that also better include women.

Objectives

The Smallholder SustaiNability Upscaling Programme (SSNUP) is a 10 year multi-donor project (2020–2030) aims to improve the livelihoods of smallholder households within sustainable agrifood systems, by strengthening their resilience, income and productivity. The project leverages the knowledge and networks of the technical assistance facilities belonging to selected impact investors active in agriculture and rural finance. SSNUP co-finances technical assistance projects that strengthen the resilience of smallholder farmers and value chain actors. These projects can range from developing index insurance services to promoting climate-smart and agro-ecological farming practices. 

Beneficiaries

By providing impact investors with technical assistance funding, the project targets smallholder farmers and their households, agricultural value chain actors such as small and medium-sized enterprises, agricultural cooperatives, microfinance institutions and other agricultural financial intermediaries. 

Target geographical area

The project covers developing countries in Africa, Latin America and Asia. 

Stakeholders

SSNUP’s main partners are the impact investors and their technical assistance facilities, which work with agricultural value chain actors. These include AgDevCo, Alterfin, Balim Investments, Fondation Grameen Crédit Agricole, Incofin, Investisseurs & Partenaires, Oikocredit, responsAbility, Shared Interest, SIDI and Symbiotics.

The project is funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), the Liechtenstein Development Service (LED), and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg.

ADA (Appui au développement autonome) coversees the implementation of the project and ensures collaboration among all stakeholders, while specialised partners such as the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), the Council on Smallholder Agricultural Finance (CSAF) and the Microinsurance Network engage in knowledge management and dissemination activities.