Latest news with #smallholderfarmers
Forbes
21-05-2025
- Business
- Forbes
International Tea Day: A Field-To-Cup Journey In Sustainability
Vintage Teapot Pouring Tea in Tea cup On May 21, the world will celebrate International Tea Day, a moment not just to sip but to assess and do some reflection. This year's theme, 'Tea and Fair Trade,' calls for a renewed focus on sustainability, transparency, and justice in a global tea market whose value is expected to rise to $362 billion in 2029 from $260 billion in 2023 according to Statista. According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, global tea production reached 6.5 million metric tons in 2021, with China accounting for nearly half of that output. India, Kenya, and Sri Lanka followed as major producers. The industry supports an estimated 13 million people worldwide, including around 9 million smallholder farmers, typically individuals or families cultivating less than two hectares of land, often relying on manual labor and local resources for production. Smallholders are responsible for growing approximately 60% of the world's tea. KAHIGA-INI, TETU, NYERI, KENYA - 2019/02/18: Women workers are seen plucking tea-leaves at Nyayo Tea ... More Zone in Nyeri County. The farm is a state corporation producing and processing tea leaves. Kenyan tea is some of the best quality black tea in the world, winning international acclaim for its taste and aroma. els of a (Photo by Billy Mutai/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images) According to the Food and Agriculture Organization, tea is one of the most climate-sensitive crops globally. Rising temperatures, shifting monsoons, and extreme weather events are already disrupting production in key regions. Kenya's tea production fell by 13.55% during the first two months of 2025, primarily due to unusually dry weather conditions, according to the Tea Board of Kenya. Similarly, erratic rainfall patterns in India are threatening crop consistency and farmer livelihoods. According to research supported by Future Climate for Africa (FCFA), tea production in African countries like Kenya, Malawi, and Rwanda is highly vulnerable to climate change due to the crop's sensitivity to temperature, rainfall, and extreme weather events. Tea thrives only within narrow agro-climatic zones, making it especially susceptible to climate shifts such as prolonged droughts, heatwaves, and intensified storms. As average temperatures rise and rainfall patterns become increasingly erratic, yields for tea plants are likely to decline, input costs will rise, and both smallholder farmers and large estates will face mounting pressure to adapt. Small-scale producers, who often lack financial resources, may struggle to afford climate-smart agricultural practices, like mulching, composting, or irrigation and could be forced to abandon tea altogether if conditions worsen. Meanwhile, large estates may face lower labor productivity and escalating costs to maintain soil quality and water availability. Without timely and targeted adaptation strategies, the long-term sustainability and profitability of Africa's tea sector remain at serious risk. Women are harvesting tea leaves in Kondoli Tea Garden on International Tea Day in Nagaon District of ... More Assam, India, on May 21, 2024. (Photo by Anuwar Hazarika/NurPhoto via Getty Images) Sustainability in tea must go beyond pesticides and water usage. It must include ethical labor practices, transparent supply chains, and equitable profit-sharing. According to the Rainforest Alliance, certified tea farms typically demonstrate better wages, safer working environments, and more responsible land stewardship. According to the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre, more than 13 million people are employed in the global tea sector, many of whom work under exploitative and unsafe conditions. Women dominate the lower tiers of tea labor, from plucking to packaging and remain vastly underrepresented in management, ownership, or policy influence. According to the United Nations Development Program, tea garden workers in Bangladesh, most of whom are women, remain among the country's most marginalized groups. Despite their dominance in the workforce as tea leaf pickers and factory workers, they face low wages, harsh conditions, and limited access to healthcare and education for their children. Bangladesh, home to hundreds of tea plantations, is one of the world's leading tea exporters, yet the labor conditions for its predominantly female workforce remain deeply inequitable. In Bangladesh, where over 60 % of tea workers are women, wages often fall below $1.25 per day, as reported in the Alarabiya English. In Kenya, one of the largest tea exporters in the world, a 2023 investigation by the BBC exposed systemic sexual abuse on plantations supplying major international tea brands. These cases are not isolated, they reflect structural issues in the global tea supply chain that disproportionately harm women. As reported by the 2020 United Nations Common Country Analysis, structural gender inequality in tea-producing countries results in women being paid less than men for the same work and being more exposed to unsafe and exploitative conditions. Tea shopping, consumers have a choice. According to a 2020 McKinsey & Company U.S. consumer sentiment survey, more than 60% of respondents said they would pay more for products with sustainable packaging. This aligns with findings from NielsenIQ, which reported that 78% of U.S. consumers consider a sustainable lifestyle important. Products that make environmental, social, and governance claims experienced an average of 28% cumulative growth over five years, compared to 20% growth for products without such claims. Ethical labeling empowers consumers to support better wages, safer conditions, support women's rights and climate resilience through everyday purchasing decisions, but it also requires supply chain transparency to be meaningful, not just marketing. As tea continues to flow across borders and breakfast tables, consumers, corporations, and governments all have a role to play. What we choose to support, ethically sourced or exploitatively produced will determine whether the future of tea is sustainable, equitable, and just.
Zawya
20-05-2025
- Business
- Zawya
Sistema.bio Signs Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Danone to Deploy 6,500 Biodigesters across Dairy Farms
During the 17th edition of the International Agricultural Exhibition in Morocco (SIAM), ( the global leader in biodigestion technology for family farmers, announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Danone, a leading global food and beverage company. 'Danone is committed to supporting smallholder dairy farmers to enhance their farm resilience. We see this partnership with to implement biodigesters for driving manure transformation as a key enabler to achieving this goal, whilst improving local food sovereignty, environmental impact and economic return.' - Olivier Verdelet, Global SVP of Agriculture&Sustainability, Danone. Danone currently collaborates directly with over 60,000 dairy farmers around the world, many of whom are smallholders managing fewer than 20 cows. global leader in biogas and regenerative agriculture—empowers farmers through access to biodigester technology, training, and financing. Through this MoU, and Danone aim to support smallholder farmers by introducing biodigesters - a proven manure management solution to mitigate methane emissions, while providing access to renewable energy on-farm. The partnership aims to deploy 6,500 biodigesters by 2030 for smallholder dairy farmers across various geographies, starting with Mexico, Morocco and India. These systems transform livestock waste into renewable biogas and organic fertilizer, which can be used as valuable resources at farm level. Overall, this supports reducing greenhouse gas emissions, lowering production costs, and decreasing reliance on chemical fertilizers. The biodigester's digestate can also be used as a natural organic fertilizer, which improves soil health and efficient water use, supporting agriculture to be more sustainable and resilient. Supporting smallholder farmers The program is being initially rolled out in Mexico, Morocco, and India, where implementation is already underway on the ground. 'We are honored to collaborate with Danone to adopt a new regenerative agriculture model for milk production,' said Alexander Eaton, CEO and Co-Founder of 'Thanks to Danone's vision of a supply chain driven by clean energy and circular principles, we will help thousands of farmers in multiple geographies to turn organic waste into clean energy and natural fertilizer—boosting farm productivity while accelerating the transition to clean energy.' The project aligns with Danone's Impact Journey toward regenerative and resilient agriculture and 'Hlib Bladi' program, which supports local milk sovereignty and promotes sustainable farming practices in Morocco. 'We are especially proud to see Morocco playing a leading role in this global agricultural ambition driven by Danone. This partnership with reflects our commitment to taking concrete action toward a more sustainable and resilient agriculture. By deploying accessible solutions like biodigesters, we are helping our farmers transition toward a more circular, self-sufficient, and environmentally respectful model,' declared Hervé Orama Barrère, CEO of Centrale Danone-Morocco. This partnership marks a major step toward decarbonizing dairy farming by delivering locally adapted high-impact technological solutions, at the service of the farmers, ultimately empowering local communities to drive meaningful climate action. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of For media inquiries, please contact: Xunaxi Cruz Velasco Email: xunaxi@ About Danone: Danone is a leading global food and beverage company with three main fast-growing categories: Essential Dairy and Plant-based products, Waters, and Specialized Nutrition. With a long-standing mission of bringing health through food to as many people as possible, Danone aims to inspire healthier and more sustainable eating and drinking practices while committing to achieve measurable nutritional, social, societal and environmental impact. More information: About is the biogas and RegenAg leading platform dedicated to empowering family farmers by providing access to innovative biodigester technology, training, and financing. These solutions address critical challenges related to poverty, food security, and climate change. Working together with farmers worldwide in more than 30 countries across Africa, Asia and LATAM, delivers high-quality carbon mitigation, and climate change adaptation programs backed by Measurement, Reporting and Verification (MRV) supported with IoT. More information:
The Independent
13-05-2025
- Climate
- The Independent
Nigeria has a food security problem as water for crops is harder to find
After two decades of working his farm in northwestern Nigeria, Umaru Muazu now struggles to find water for his crops. A murky puddle is all that remains of a river near his 5-hectare farm and those of others in this community in arid Sokoto state. Because the 62-year-old Muazu can't afford to dig a well to keep crops like millet and maize from withering, he might abandon farming. 'Before, with a small farm, you could get a lot," he said. Climate change is challenging agriculture in Nigeria, Africa's most populous country. With long dry spells and extreme heat, water bodies are drying because the arid season is becoming longer than usual. The wet season, though it can dump excessive rain, is short. It's fresh pain in a country where the World Food Program says 31 million people already face food insecurity. Efforts to recover from one climate shock are overlapped by the next, said WFP spokesperson Chi Lael. The challenges faced by farmers in the north, who account for most of what Nigeria eats, are affecting food prices and availability in the booming coastal south that's home to the megacity of Lagos. More than 80% of Nigeria's farmers are smallholder farmers, who account for 90% of the country's annual agricultural production. Some work their fields with little more than a piece of roughly carved wood and their bare hands. Farmers are facing low yields because the government has failed to develop infrastructure like dams to help mitigate the effects of climate change, said Daniel Obiora, national president of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria. There is little data available on the drying-up of smaller water bodies across the north. But farmers say the trend has been worsening. In Adamawa state, water scarcity caused by higher temperatures and changing rain patterns has affected over 1,250 hectares (3,088 acres) of farmland, disrupting food supply and livelihoods, Nigeria's National Emergency Management Agency said last year. Over-extraction of water and deforestation are other factors contributing to northern Nigeria's drying rivers, according to Abdulsamad Isah, co-founder of local Extension Africa nonprofit that often works with farmers. Elsewhere in Sokoto state, Nasiru Bello tilled his farm to cultivate onions without assurance of a meaningful harvest. With nearby rivers and wells drying up, he has resorted to pumping groundwater for the farm that provides the sole income for his family of 26. But the cost of pumping amid soaring gas prices has become unbearable. 'The plants do not grow well as it did,' he said. Nigeria is forecast to become the world's third most populous nation by 2025, alongside the United States and after India and China. With Nigeria's population expected to reach 400 million by 2050, the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization has been encouraging climate-smart agriculture to help ensure food security, including drip irrigation, which delivers water slowly and directly to roots and helps conserve water, instead of traditional irrigation systems that flood entire fields. 'There should be more orientation for farmers about climate change,' said Yusuf Isah Sokoto, director of the College of Environmental Science at Sokoto's Umaru Ali Shinkafi Polytechnic. At least two-thirds of the trees in the state have been lost due to deforestation, contributing to rising temperatures, Sokoto said. Data from the government-run statistics agency show that local agriculture contributed 22% of Nigeria's GDP in the second quarter of 2024, down from 25% in the previous quarter. While the trend has fluctuated in recent years, experts have said agricultural production still does not reflect growing government investment in the sector. Household food imports, meanwhile, rose by 136% from 2023 to 2024, government statistics show. The decreasing farm yields are being felt elsewhere in Nigeria, especially the south. In Lagos, the price of several items grown in the north have nearly doubled in the last two years, partly due to decreasing supplies. A head of cabbage grown in the north is selling for 2,000 naira ($1.2), nearly double its price a year ago and more than five times the price in Sokoto. Nigerian authorities acknowledge the problem. Many farmers who once harvested up to 10 tons are hardly able to get half that these days, agriculture minister Aliyu Abdullahi said earlier this year. Nigeria's President Bola Tinubu and his government have touted agriculture as a means for economic prosperity. Shortly after he took office in May 2023, Tinubu's government declared a food security state of emergency and announced plans to activate 500,000 hectares of farmland in Nigeria's land banks, which are mostly in the north. The land banks, however, are yet to be activated. ___ For more on Africa and development: The Associated Press receives financial support for global health and development coverage in Africa from the Gates Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at
Associated Press
13-05-2025
- Climate
- Associated Press
Nigeria has a food security problem as water for crops is harder to find
KWALKWALAWA, Nigeria (AP) — After two decades of working his farm in northwestern Nigeria, Umaru Muazu now struggles to find water for his crops. A murky puddle is all that remains of a river near his 5-hectare farm and those of others in this community in arid Sokoto state. Because the 62-year-old Muazu can't afford to dig a well to keep crops like millet and maize from withering, he might abandon farming. 'Before, with a small farm, you could get a lot,' he said. Climate change is challenging agriculture in Nigeria, Africa's most populous country. With long dry spells and extreme heat, water bodies are drying because the arid season is becoming longer than usual. The wet season, though it can dump excessive rain, is short. It's fresh pain in a country where the World Food Program says 31 million people already face food insecurity. Efforts to recover from one climate shock are overlapped by the next, said WFP spokesperson Chi Lael. The challenges faced by farmers in the north, who account for most of what Nigeria eats, are affecting food prices and availability in the booming coastal south that's home to the megacity of Lagos. More than 80% of Nigeria's farmers are smallholder farmers, who account for 90% of the country's annual agricultural production. Some work their fields with little more than a piece of roughly carved wood and their bare hands. Farmers are facing low yields because the government has failed to develop infrastructure like dams to help mitigate the effects of climate change, said Daniel Obiora, national president of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria. There is little data available on the drying-up of smaller water bodies across the north. But farmers say the trend has been worsening. In Adamawa state, water scarcity caused by higher temperatures and changing rain patterns has affected over 1,250 hectares (3,088 acres) of farmland, disrupting food supply and livelihoods, Nigeria's National Emergency Management Agency said last year. Over-extraction of water and deforestation are other factors contributing to northern Nigeria's drying rivers, according to Abdulsamad Isah, co-founder of local Extension Africa nonprofit that often works with farmers. Elsewhere in Sokoto state, Nasiru Bello tilled his farm to cultivate onions without assurance of a meaningful harvest. With nearby rivers and wells drying up, he has resorted to pumping groundwater for the farm that provides the sole income for his family of 26. But the cost of pumping amid soaring gas prices has become unbearable. 'The plants do not grow well as it did,' he said. Nigeria is forecast to become the world's third most populous nation by 2025, alongside the United States and after India and China. With Nigeria's population expected to reach 400 million by 2050, the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization has been encouraging climate-smart agriculture to help ensure food security, including drip irrigation, which delivers water slowly and directly to roots and helps conserve water, instead of traditional irrigation systems that flood entire fields. 'There should be more orientation for farmers about climate change,' said Yusuf Isah Sokoto, director of the College of Environmental Science at Sokoto's Umaru Ali Shinkafi Polytechnic. At least two-thirds of the trees in the state have been lost due to deforestation, contributing to rising temperatures, Sokoto said. Data from the government-run statistics agency show that local agriculture contributed 22% of Nigeria's GDP in the second quarter of 2024, down from 25% in the previous quarter. While the trend has fluctuated in recent years, experts have said agricultural production still does not reflect growing government investment in the sector. Household food imports, meanwhile, rose by 136% from 2023 to 2024, government statistics show. The decreasing farm yields are being felt elsewhere in Nigeria, especially the south. In Lagos, the price of several items grown in the north have nearly doubled in the last two years, partly due to decreasing supplies. A head of cabbage grown in the north is selling for 2,000 naira ($1.2), nearly double its price a year ago and more than five times the price in Sokoto. Nigerian authorities acknowledge the problem. Many farmers who once harvested up to 10 tons are hardly able to get half that these days, agriculture minister Aliyu Abdullahi said earlier this year. Nigeria's President Bola Tinubu and his government have touted agriculture as a means for economic prosperity. Shortly after he took office in May 2023, Tinubu's government declared a food security state of emergency and announced plans to activate 500,000 hectares of farmland in Nigeria's land banks, which are mostly in the north. The land banks, however, are yet to be activated. ___ For more on Africa and development: The Associated Press receives financial support for global health and development coverage in Africa from the Gates Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at
