Social enterprise One Acre Fund has released its ‘Global Croptake’, a look at the threats to global food production and security since the Paris Agreement and into our future. The Croptake – a play on the ‘global stocktake’, in which countries assess progress on climate commitments since 2015 – uses existing historical and climate modelling datasets to illustrate changes in global crop yields, temperatures, soil health, extreme events, and food insecurity over time. All of these elements together paint a picture of the challenges smallholder farmers – particularly those across sub-Saharan Africa – are reckoning with in the face of climate breakdown.
The Croptake follows the release of an ‘Untapped Potential’ report, which revealed that small-scale family farmers produce a third (32%) of the world’s food yet only 0.3% of international climate finance was spent helping them adapt in 2021.
According to the Croptake analysis the past eight years have been the warmest on record.i Whilst yields of wheat, rice and maize have increased since 2015,ii severe food insecurity and undernourishment have been on the rise.iii Nitrogen leaching has increased in this time,iv and 33% of soils are already estimated to be degraded.v Meanwhile, the number of climate-related disasters increased by 83% between 2000 and 2019 compared to the previous two decades (1980-1999).vi
The Croptake finds that, should we continue on our current trajectory, by 2050 we could see 90% of soils become degraded,vii with crop yields declining by 3–12%,viii and a 20% rise in the risk of hunger and malnutrition.ix In a ‘business as usual’ scenario, global temperatures could increase by as much as 4.4°C above pre-industrial levels by 2100.x At this degree of heating, the proportion of category 4 and 5 tropical cyclones could increase by 20%.xi 
Just 2% of international public climate finance (US$2 billion) was directed at small-scale family farmers and rural communities – equivalent to around 0.3% of total international climate finance from both public and private sources. Smallholders’ finance needs are estimated to be around US$170 billion per year in sub-Saharan Africa alone.
Annie Wakanyi, Director of Global Government Partnerships at One Acre Fund, said: “Smallholders make up 70% of people living in poverty and their entire livelihood is often dependent on an acre or two of land. Meanwhile, over 2 billion people rely on smallholder farms for food and income. Despite this, less than 1% of global climate finance aids these farmers in adapting to climate breakdown.
“Smallholder farmers have an opportunity to combat global heating, secure livelihoods, build soil health and safeguard a world for future generations. Meanwhile, the models and mechanisms to support them in this venture already exist and are ready to scale. We’re calling on the COP28 community to recognise the power and agency that smallholders possess by explicitly referencing smallholder farmers in the COP28 cover text, and acknowledging both the barriers they face and the opportunities they hold. A thriving network of climate smart and resilient farmers across Sub-Saharan Africa is a win-win for people and the planet.”
One Acre Fund, which supports over 4 million smallholder farmers across sub-Saharan Africa, is using the Global Croptake to draw attention to the devastating impacts smallholder farmers are experiencing as a result of the climate crisis. As COP28 approaches, they are issuing a call to global governments, policymakers, investors and the general public to engage with and invest in smallholders. A key element of this is meaningful acknowledgement of smallholder farmers within the final COP28 cover text and Global Stocktake decision.
One Acre Fund supports smallholder farmers to build more food secure, climate resilient and prosperous communities. It takes an adaptation-first approach by training smallholders to adopt climate-smart practices to increase farm yields sustainably and diversify income streams, and by providing safety nets to ensure financial stability. In addition, the organisation supports smallholder farmers to mitigate the impacts of the climate crisis through mass on-farm tree planting – as part of its 1 Billion Trees campaign – and the adoption of soil health practices that sequester carbon from the atmosphere. One Acre Fund advocates that supporting smallholder farmers is pivotal for achieving global climate goals.
Zambia-based farmer Trina Mwiinga, who is taking part in One Acre Fund’s tree-planting scheme, said: “It has been about 18 years since I bought [my] farm. I have seen the land become less fertile over time, especially in the area where I now have decided to plant trees. I have 9 children and 21 grandchildren. If I hadn’t started this programme, years from now there would be a difference in how my children would be able to use this land. By that time, their crops would no longer grow because the land would no longer be fertile. Looking at the trees I have planted, I see them as helpers. I see that life is changing compared to the previous days… life is becoming better thanks to the trees.”
